| Like me, if you are looking for enlightenment-most of | | | | journey, others will benefit from it as they have the |
| you will have missed the boat-it sailed a very long time | | | | first one. |
| ago. | | | | Every one of my articles or books represents another |
| I retired early in my life-almost seven years ago. Like | | | | step along my path to enlightenment, and yet all those |
| many I spent much of my life working and raising a | | | | steps keep bringing me back to where I started and |
| family or two. I reached a point at about 50 years old | | | | where I am now. I have not really traveled anywhere. |
| when I decided I had enough. Actually I decided that | | | | Enlightenment is the process, the path-we are all |
| long before I retired. I knew there had to be something | | | | enlightened creatures. Enlightenment is not a place or |
| more than what I was doing. Certainly I didn't let any | | | | the end of the trip. It is not possible to find it because it |
| moss grow under my feet. I owned several | | | | does not exist. Enlightenment comes to those who |
| businesses and worked for a few. My vocations were | | | | know they are already enlightened. It is the present |
| highly varied, ranging from electronics, to fur trapping, to | | | | moment of which you are aware of that is real. You |
| writing and more. | | | | do not live in the past, nor can you live in the |
| I have several children and have had many lovers and | | | | future-there is only now--enlightenment is only now. |
| relationships. My life has always been built around | | | | The universe is constantly moving and so does |
| people and yet I am very reclusive and absent from | | | | enlightenment. It is as though chasing your |
| friendship circles and social interaction. People who | | | | shadow-every time you move, so does your shadow. |
| know me don't understand that, thinking just the | | | | One can only spend their time looking for enlightenment |
| opposite-when it's business-I'm right in there. Most of | | | | and it is something we do, because we can-it is a |
| this reclusive ness is self imposed. I have a really poor | | | | vocation with no diploma or degree. You will not find |
| memory when it comes to names. I won't remember | | | | the gold at the end of the enlightened rainbow. It is no |
| you name ten seconds after you tell me. So, because I | | | | different than spending a life-time driving a cab, healing |
| have forgotten your name, I will try to avoid you if I | | | | people, or building skyscrapers-it's just a job. |
| see you. I am not sure if I am reclusive because of this | | | | Trying to figure out who we are brings opportunities |
| or I am forgetful because I want to be reclusive. | | | | for exploration and exploitation-denying the obvious |
| This alienation from people has helped me in the last | | | | keeps us looking. All kinds of institutions and beliefs |
| seven years to give much attention to my reading and | | | | revolve around the misplaced conception that we are |
| writing. I am still working part time as a sales person, so | | | | not really who we are. Many people will take |
| I am in contact with people 4 hours a day. I have | | | | advantage of this belief and make money off your |
| rationalized my introverted life even further by | | | | ignorance. Life is all there is-it is this moment and your |
| acknowledging I don't like soap operas, drama, and | | | | circumstances-this is enlightenment. |
| gossip. I find conversations with others filled with much | | | | Every question I have asked, always leads to another |
| of this stuff. I do not want to always be serious either-I | | | | question, and another, and the answer always leads |
| think we all take ourselves too seriously. But | | | | back to me. The mystery of life is created by |
| conversations don't have to be judgmental, | | | | you-therefore the answers to the mystery you have |
| disempowering, or about personalities. | | | | created always lie with you. You are creating the |
| I have devoted the last sever years to finding | | | | questions and the answers. |
| enlightenment. It's what I have written about in the | | | | It is your nature to create, and then ask yourself why |
| hundreds of articles I have on the internet and in my | | | | you did it. The answer always leads back to the |
| published books. My searching ended some time ago | | | | question-we do it because we can. As in the |
| when I realized I was chasing my tail, yet I continue to | | | | innocence of a small child, the answer is simple-I did it |
| write and I have another book coming out this year | | | | because! At that point we want to know what |
| (hopefully). I have moved away past my next book | | | | "because" is, and we make the whole thing too |
| already, and have just completed proofing it; I have | | | | complicated. |
| considered not publishing it because of this. I also | | | | It is not easy, and for most impossible to accept the |
| reminded myself, although the book is about my | | | | obvious-you are already enlightened! |