Brilliant, deeply human ..."My relationship with language, with the mystery of life and with the physical world around us is important to my heart, and you don’t have any say in that."
Yes, let's get out of the cage, leave the sheep behind, chase the sheepdogs, and dive deep into the blue ocean of our freedom within.
thank you Tessa. We have to be brave. We owe this to not only the few that see the light but also to the blind that are in darkness. Someone must follow the light. I am glad that the "call" is coming for me and other like minded people who dare to love when the odds are against us. Our souls need food. We have to feed our souls with acts of courage and love. Peace.
Julie, I have the same reaction. What I find truly freaky is how I can't seem to get through to anyone outside this kind of forum. I see myself as fairly staid and conventional, but my take on what's going on begets a very unfamiliar ostracism. It's downright weird.
I think a lot of people have given in to classic abuse and are acting like abuse victims, defending the very thing that hurts them so as not to lose their identity. I try to take that into consideration but also seek out other people who are not terrified since it's not healthy to live in terror and listen to fearful stories too much.
Thank you for turning on some lights. As I think back on my sequence of adopting new information and perspectives, I remember real anguish as my disenfranchisement from trust grew. Asking these folks to hurdle to my persuasions is cutting into their identity, especially since they do trust my intent and opinions. Connecting how this may make them feel to how I felt certainly explains a whole lot. My reluctance to previously acknowledge this and be empathetic is likely partly due to my enthusiasm to share what I have found but is also due the discomfort that empathy brings, since I recently and progressively have felt anguish at the new awarenesses. And further to that, it makes reconciliation regarding what's going on here seem even further away, which isn't such a very palatable thought. But anyway thank you most dearly for a perspective that helps me improve mine, and will undoubtedly be beneficial to all in the long run.
Wow. Since the lights came on, I am already getting better results. Before, I felt dishonest not to at least try to make them aware of what I see. Now that I see this as treading on their identity, I feel no longer compelled to project my persuasions. And the benefits are immediately obvious. I have mentally snarled before at holier than thou types who had my answers for me, so how come this was so hard for me to get? That's something I clearly need to have a deep and honest conversation with myself about. Thank you, Tessa!!
Thank you Dirck!!! I am so glad my writing inspired something internally interesting. I think this is one of the challenges of human life, walking a fine line between protecting inner truth and trying to act with with strength and kindness toward those who believe that "you are wrong." I try to to play it by ear usually, if I feel like there is a chance of getting through, I try, but if it gets to a situation of disrespect or arrogance, I let them be without regret. After all, everybody connects to their mystery on their terms. Clearly, there is no formula for doing this dance, it's a matter of figuring it out in each moment!
"Our fellow men are black magicians. And whoever is with them is a black magician on the spot. Think for a moment, can you deviate from the path that your fellow men have lined up for you? And if you remain with them, your thoughts and your actions are fixed forever in their terms. That is slavery."
Hmmm......well, nice try Tessa, but where ones' heart truly lies is revealed by action more than words.
You voted. Voting is nothing less than kneeling down and worshipping at the altar erected by priests in charge of the halls of power and authority-- cavernous halls and corridors of cold stone designed to humble and intimidate the peasantry into awestruck compliance.
What emotion brought you there, to the place where the mad notion of Superior/Inferior Being rules by force over us all? Was it love of humanity? Did your passion and hope guide you to participate in the eternal wrestling match of democracy whereby the winners may seize the levers of power to then administrate over the lives of the losers as they see fit?
Perhaps you are not so free of fear as you'd like to think?
A voter sees themselves, and their point of view, as Superior Being. The "opponent" is always Inferior Being whose compliance must necessarily be obtained by force "for the good of all".
For all her talk of love and freedom, Tessa believes in authoritarian rule as demonstrated by her act of voting. This would indicate that she does not so much want to be a robot so much as control them herself.
So far, to her credit, she has not presented us with an ideology as yet. But hey, let's give her time. She is only getting started. One day soon she may come stumbling into town, just like a sacred cow, visions of "love and hearts" in her head and plans for everyone!
(I can see sparks and hear the grinding of her "blade of intellect" being sharpened at this very moment!) = ]
I don't know what's going on in your head, and who you are, but your hostility is extremely bizarre. It clearly has nothing to do with voting (we had that conversation on some other thread), you seem to be envious or resentful of something, something I am not aware of, and I am very sorry but in the spirit of this very article, I am going to leave you to your own devices with that sentiment. You left a couple of very interesting comments and then got onto a rant about how anybody who votes is the devil (and while I don't think voting changes anything except on a local level, which is why I voted in this cycle, voting most certainly doesn't turn any human being into a devil of any kind). So now you are NOT trying to have a good-hearted conversation, and I have no reason to honor your attempt at ranting! I wish you well, and I truly don't have the time to decipher your psychological inner workings that compel you to be so unfriendly.
You are familiar with Iggy Pop and Bowie, and have the time to pursue a masturbatory conversation, oh hooray! You keep coming back in order to add more words that in your head are supposed to make you look superior while making me feel inferior, which, by the way, is a losing proposition.... I am quite comfortable with who I am. But even if you are attempting to have a battle of intellects, it is impossible to do it while you are hiding under an anonymous name. It is also, frankly, a boring way to spend time. Life is beautiful, and time is limited.
My arrow hit it's intended mark. No doubt it caused you some pain, but that's what happens when one gets blindsided by reality barging in when we have allowed ourselves to rest on our laurels, satisfied that our level of comprehension is final and complete and that there is nothing more to learn.
I hinted at this same thing earlier on in my comments, in a more gentle way, but you balked and slipped back into your comfortable, familiar chain mail armor without a second thought. It was then necessary to sharpen my arrow to a razor fine point.
One can certainly tell oneself that voting within a toxic system of armed force, ugly dominance and fear-based control is harmless, but the true reality of the act is that to the extent that one participates in "the machine" one has blood on their hands. I realize that in our times it is not possible to refrain from participating unless one is prepared to live in rags and filth under a freeway overpass. Although I do not vote, I do participate and add fuel to the machine every time the taxman shows up and orders me to "pay up or else!"
I live daily with the horror of this, the reality that I have blood on my hands too. I can only forgive myself and hope to mitigate my crime in some small way by shining a light on all this madness, even while the blood of others runs down my elbows and floods my boots.
I don't fancy myself a superior intellect to you Tessa. Not at all. You got me whipped in that dept. for sure! What appears to you as me asserting my superiority is an illusion caused by simple difference in altitude. We are climbing the same mountain, Tessa. If I am higher up because I've been at it longer, so what? Should I stop shining my light because it may offend someone below and assail their belief that they have achieved the summit?
Everyone who walks the path of the heart must strive to overcome numerous pitfalls along the way, one of which is to cease climbing, to say to oneself "good enough!" and then pitch a tent and climb onto their soapbox.
Nothing wrong with that, of course, as long as one remembers to keep moving at some point, to carry on learning and refining one's comprehension of what is real, beautiful and true. Certainly you are a fearless climber to be writing as you do. Putting oneself out there like this, for all the world to see, one must be prepared to meet their match. At least every once in a while.
In my journey I have learned, (painfully, of course) that over-reliance on intellect quite easily drowns out the sweet music of the heart. To the extent one allows that to continue, ones' expressive art loses its' melodiousness and beauty and falls into discordant, strident tones that serve to confuse and muddle the bella vista. Of course, there a lots of people out there who dig that kind of thing but somehow you don't strike me as one. I could be wrong.
You are courageous, beautiful and fierce-- like a mountain lioness, Tessa. If in my wanderings I encounter an incredible creature like you who has their leg caught in a trap I'm bloody well going to try my damndest to set her free. Trouble is, the trap has been clamped down for so long that her brain has long since ceased to register pain signals from the leg. The lioness is strong enough to have dragged the trap around with her and survive for many years but there it is, clanging around and hobbling her. She doesn't even see it anymore. It has melded itself into her identity and become part of how she sees herself. Perhaps she stepped into as a kitten.
But when the trap is opened.......look out! The numb part of the brain wakes up with great force and out come the claws!
Okay then Tessa, the trap is open. Whether or not you walk out of it is your business. You may certainly choose to put your foot right back down into it.
It seems like you are having an ego trip. "Your match," blah blah blah... I am not competing with you or with anyone. Furthermore, you remain anonymous in your speeches, as if this world is your little theater and you like to step out of the dark, preach mysteriously, and feel superior. This is rather silly. Also a waste of time. I live in the real world, not in cadences of intellectual masturbation. So if you want to continue, please introduce yourself so that I know who I am talking to, and get to the point using direct language, otherwise it feels like spurned lover talk. Thanks.
Well, I can see why your dream was stillborn. I am sorry you are so unable to feel the things she has described here, and may your heart open and may you find the end of your life surprisingly peaceful. And with that love that you feel, may you look back upon whatever malady you suffer now and say "man, I was in a bad place".
well alright. someone reading old comments. gotta love these petty little "burns" disguised as compassionate wishes...! I get that a lot. kinda like tossing poo dipped in cake frosting so one can continue to see themselves as "good-hearted" whilst saying something entirely nasty.
just let 'er rip, next time, W. it's okay to be human and say what you feel without worrying about appearances. you ain't foolin' anyone but yourself.
Nah, I am not interested in being mean. I have other things to do. I believe we are all connected. What I do or say will come back on me eventually. Infinity is real. Carry on. I have been so wrong in the past. Now I enjoy forgiving myself and others every day. Peace.
smug, angry, dismissive....you don't see your bile vapor steaming up from beneath your words? perhaps a different flavor of cake frosting here, W, but that's still poo you're throwing at me. you say "Peace" but the emotion beneath it says "you've pissed me off mr. eap, so f you." if you were truly at peace, you wouldn't be tangling here with me. you'd be doing those "other things."
If you want to know "connectedness" rather than just believe in it, connect to your self first and learn to see the truth of what is really going on inside you. again, it's okay to be human, to be fallible, to be pissed off. you want to tell me to go f myself? do it. no problem. just don't say "peace" afterwards like some imaginary saintly person that you're not.
Okay. Whatever you wish. I will not wish you peace. Pardon me. Actually I am buying bile salts. I believe I need MORE, not less. Fare thee well, is that okay? Alright......toodaloo.
Beautiful!!
Thank you Tracey!
Brilliant, deeply human ..."My relationship with language, with the mystery of life and with the physical world around us is important to my heart, and you don’t have any say in that."
Yes, let's get out of the cage, leave the sheep behind, chase the sheepdogs, and dive deep into the blue ocean of our freedom within.
Yes, it's true. We don't belong in a cage!! xo
I read this aloud to my family as part of our Thanksgiving Day. Thank you so much Tessa and keep writing!
Wow, thank you Elizabeth! I am moved!
Beautifully expressed. Superb.
Thank you!!
thank you Tessa. We have to be brave. We owe this to not only the few that see the light but also to the blind that are in darkness. Someone must follow the light. I am glad that the "call" is coming for me and other like minded people who dare to love when the odds are against us. Our souls need food. We have to feed our souls with acts of courage and love. Peace.
Thank you Denny! I agree, and I like how you describe feeding our souls!
It's a Beautiful Day - White Bird - 7/7/1970 - Tanglewood (Official) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q918fs4RAto
Thanks for the Thanksgiving email and for this Memo to the Matrix.
Didn't notice a single typo in either piece. Proofreading offer still stands,
I noticed a comment on the right sidebar liking your "Perfect Day" but couldn't locate it.
If it's currently on your site, please advize where to find it.
An ancient internet piece about living free & fearless...hope it brings a smile if it's new to you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMbXvn2RNI&t=194s
Thank you!!
No typos? A miracle!! :-)
My "Perfect Day" cover (feels like a a different era given the current state of affairs) https://soundcloud.com/tessamakeslove/perfect-day
And wow, a cool animation!
Thanks for the link to "Perfect Day". May your days ahead, of freedom and fearlessness be perfect ones.
Thank you! That is a very good wish, I wish you same!!
Love the poem!! I chuckle and sigh.
Wonderful writing ! To read this is to KNOW I am not alone ! Thank you for your eloquence and authenticity.
Julie, I have the same reaction. What I find truly freaky is how I can't seem to get through to anyone outside this kind of forum. I see myself as fairly staid and conventional, but my take on what's going on begets a very unfamiliar ostracism. It's downright weird.
I think a lot of people have given in to classic abuse and are acting like abuse victims, defending the very thing that hurts them so as not to lose their identity. I try to take that into consideration but also seek out other people who are not terrified since it's not healthy to live in terror and listen to fearful stories too much.
Thank you for turning on some lights. As I think back on my sequence of adopting new information and perspectives, I remember real anguish as my disenfranchisement from trust grew. Asking these folks to hurdle to my persuasions is cutting into their identity, especially since they do trust my intent and opinions. Connecting how this may make them feel to how I felt certainly explains a whole lot. My reluctance to previously acknowledge this and be empathetic is likely partly due to my enthusiasm to share what I have found but is also due the discomfort that empathy brings, since I recently and progressively have felt anguish at the new awarenesses. And further to that, it makes reconciliation regarding what's going on here seem even further away, which isn't such a very palatable thought. But anyway thank you most dearly for a perspective that helps me improve mine, and will undoubtedly be beneficial to all in the long run.
Wow. Since the lights came on, I am already getting better results. Before, I felt dishonest not to at least try to make them aware of what I see. Now that I see this as treading on their identity, I feel no longer compelled to project my persuasions. And the benefits are immediately obvious. I have mentally snarled before at holier than thou types who had my answers for me, so how come this was so hard for me to get? That's something I clearly need to have a deep and honest conversation with myself about. Thank you, Tessa!!
Thank you Dirck!!! I am so glad my writing inspired something internally interesting. I think this is one of the challenges of human life, walking a fine line between protecting inner truth and trying to act with with strength and kindness toward those who believe that "you are wrong." I try to to play it by ear usually, if I feel like there is a chance of getting through, I try, but if it gets to a situation of disrespect or arrogance, I let them be without regret. After all, everybody connects to their mystery on their terms. Clearly, there is no formula for doing this dance, it's a matter of figuring it out in each moment!
Thank you Julie!! You are not alone for sure! xo
I am sorry,
I hope that this don't be a letter of suicide
God bless you.
Oh no, not to all!!! On the contrary, it's a letter of joy and freedom! xoxo
Любить - это ничего. Быть любимым - это что-то. А любить и быть любимым - это всё.
"Our fellow men are black magicians. And whoever is with them is a black magician on the spot. Think for a moment, can you deviate from the path that your fellow men have lined up for you? And if you remain with them, your thoughts and your actions are fixed forever in their terms. That is slavery."
- Don Juan Matus
Hmmm......well, nice try Tessa, but where ones' heart truly lies is revealed by action more than words.
You voted. Voting is nothing less than kneeling down and worshipping at the altar erected by priests in charge of the halls of power and authority-- cavernous halls and corridors of cold stone designed to humble and intimidate the peasantry into awestruck compliance.
What emotion brought you there, to the place where the mad notion of Superior/Inferior Being rules by force over us all? Was it love of humanity? Did your passion and hope guide you to participate in the eternal wrestling match of democracy whereby the winners may seize the levers of power to then administrate over the lives of the losers as they see fit?
Perhaps you are not so free of fear as you'd like to think?
A voter sees themselves, and their point of view, as Superior Being. The "opponent" is always Inferior Being whose compliance must necessarily be obtained by force "for the good of all".
For all her talk of love and freedom, Tessa believes in authoritarian rule as demonstrated by her act of voting. This would indicate that she does not so much want to be a robot so much as control them herself.
So far, to her credit, she has not presented us with an ideology as yet. But hey, let's give her time. She is only getting started. One day soon she may come stumbling into town, just like a sacred cow, visions of "love and hearts" in her head and plans for everyone!
(I can see sparks and hear the grinding of her "blade of intellect" being sharpened at this very moment!) = ]
I don't know what's going on in your head, and who you are, but your hostility is extremely bizarre. It clearly has nothing to do with voting (we had that conversation on some other thread), you seem to be envious or resentful of something, something I am not aware of, and I am very sorry but in the spirit of this very article, I am going to leave you to your own devices with that sentiment. You left a couple of very interesting comments and then got onto a rant about how anybody who votes is the devil (and while I don't think voting changes anything except on a local level, which is why I voted in this cycle, voting most certainly doesn't turn any human being into a devil of any kind). So now you are NOT trying to have a good-hearted conversation, and I have no reason to honor your attempt at ranting! I wish you well, and I truly don't have the time to decipher your psychological inner workings that compel you to be so unfriendly.
"shhhhh........shhhh.......oh baby........ just you shut your mouth" ; ]
You are familiar with Iggy Pop and Bowie, and have the time to pursue a masturbatory conversation, oh hooray! You keep coming back in order to add more words that in your head are supposed to make you look superior while making me feel inferior, which, by the way, is a losing proposition.... I am quite comfortable with who I am. But even if you are attempting to have a battle of intellects, it is impossible to do it while you are hiding under an anonymous name. It is also, frankly, a boring way to spend time. Life is beautiful, and time is limited.
I hear and respect your words Tessa.
My arrow hit it's intended mark. No doubt it caused you some pain, but that's what happens when one gets blindsided by reality barging in when we have allowed ourselves to rest on our laurels, satisfied that our level of comprehension is final and complete and that there is nothing more to learn.
I hinted at this same thing earlier on in my comments, in a more gentle way, but you balked and slipped back into your comfortable, familiar chain mail armor without a second thought. It was then necessary to sharpen my arrow to a razor fine point.
One can certainly tell oneself that voting within a toxic system of armed force, ugly dominance and fear-based control is harmless, but the true reality of the act is that to the extent that one participates in "the machine" one has blood on their hands. I realize that in our times it is not possible to refrain from participating unless one is prepared to live in rags and filth under a freeway overpass. Although I do not vote, I do participate and add fuel to the machine every time the taxman shows up and orders me to "pay up or else!"
I live daily with the horror of this, the reality that I have blood on my hands too. I can only forgive myself and hope to mitigate my crime in some small way by shining a light on all this madness, even while the blood of others runs down my elbows and floods my boots.
I don't fancy myself a superior intellect to you Tessa. Not at all. You got me whipped in that dept. for sure! What appears to you as me asserting my superiority is an illusion caused by simple difference in altitude. We are climbing the same mountain, Tessa. If I am higher up because I've been at it longer, so what? Should I stop shining my light because it may offend someone below and assail their belief that they have achieved the summit?
Everyone who walks the path of the heart must strive to overcome numerous pitfalls along the way, one of which is to cease climbing, to say to oneself "good enough!" and then pitch a tent and climb onto their soapbox.
Nothing wrong with that, of course, as long as one remembers to keep moving at some point, to carry on learning and refining one's comprehension of what is real, beautiful and true. Certainly you are a fearless climber to be writing as you do. Putting oneself out there like this, for all the world to see, one must be prepared to meet their match. At least every once in a while.
In my journey I have learned, (painfully, of course) that over-reliance on intellect quite easily drowns out the sweet music of the heart. To the extent one allows that to continue, ones' expressive art loses its' melodiousness and beauty and falls into discordant, strident tones that serve to confuse and muddle the bella vista. Of course, there a lots of people out there who dig that kind of thing but somehow you don't strike me as one. I could be wrong.
You are courageous, beautiful and fierce-- like a mountain lioness, Tessa. If in my wanderings I encounter an incredible creature like you who has their leg caught in a trap I'm bloody well going to try my damndest to set her free. Trouble is, the trap has been clamped down for so long that her brain has long since ceased to register pain signals from the leg. The lioness is strong enough to have dragged the trap around with her and survive for many years but there it is, clanging around and hobbling her. She doesn't even see it anymore. It has melded itself into her identity and become part of how she sees herself. Perhaps she stepped into as a kitten.
But when the trap is opened.......look out! The numb part of the brain wakes up with great force and out come the claws!
Okay then Tessa, the trap is open. Whether or not you walk out of it is your business. You may certainly choose to put your foot right back down into it.
It seems like you are having an ego trip. "Your match," blah blah blah... I am not competing with you or with anyone. Furthermore, you remain anonymous in your speeches, as if this world is your little theater and you like to step out of the dark, preach mysteriously, and feel superior. This is rather silly. Also a waste of time. I live in the real world, not in cadences of intellectual masturbation. So if you want to continue, please introduce yourself so that I know who I am talking to, and get to the point using direct language, otherwise it feels like spurned lover talk. Thanks.
Well, I can see why your dream was stillborn. I am sorry you are so unable to feel the things she has described here, and may your heart open and may you find the end of your life surprisingly peaceful. And with that love that you feel, may you look back upon whatever malady you suffer now and say "man, I was in a bad place".
well alright. someone reading old comments. gotta love these petty little "burns" disguised as compassionate wishes...! I get that a lot. kinda like tossing poo dipped in cake frosting so one can continue to see themselves as "good-hearted" whilst saying something entirely nasty.
just let 'er rip, next time, W. it's okay to be human and say what you feel without worrying about appearances. you ain't foolin' anyone but yourself.
Nah, I am not interested in being mean. I have other things to do. I believe we are all connected. What I do or say will come back on me eventually. Infinity is real. Carry on. I have been so wrong in the past. Now I enjoy forgiving myself and others every day. Peace.
smug, angry, dismissive....you don't see your bile vapor steaming up from beneath your words? perhaps a different flavor of cake frosting here, W, but that's still poo you're throwing at me. you say "Peace" but the emotion beneath it says "you've pissed me off mr. eap, so f you." if you were truly at peace, you wouldn't be tangling here with me. you'd be doing those "other things."
If you want to know "connectedness" rather than just believe in it, connect to your self first and learn to see the truth of what is really going on inside you. again, it's okay to be human, to be fallible, to be pissed off. you want to tell me to go f myself? do it. no problem. just don't say "peace" afterwards like some imaginary saintly person that you're not.
Okay. Whatever you wish. I will not wish you peace. Pardon me. Actually I am buying bile salts. I believe I need MORE, not less. Fare thee well, is that okay? Alright......toodaloo.
Oh, I won't be responding no matter how compelling your next comment is, but I did enjoy the cake frosted poo comment. I will remember that one.
My sentiments exactly!!!
Thank you Tessa for putting the words together that tell my thoughts.
Thank you Joan!!
in a world of propaganda ,the truth is always a conspiracy H.Hildebrandt
Very true!