The road less traveled.
Yeah, I know. It’s the name of a popular book. I can’t say I’ve read it, though. I only use the term because it’s the best way to adequately describe my own journey.
When you realize the world isn’t how you thought it was…and you see that since you’ve woken up, you really don’t fit in anywhere (not that I ever did), it can be a strange experience. The only difference is before, not fitting in felt like a curse. Now it feels like it’s by design.
A gift.
Very much on purpose. A deliberate choice. A way to understand truth.
You’re wondering what I’m babbling about.
Is she gonna get to the point? She’s two paragraphs and a few sentences in and I still don’t know where she’s going with this.
Yes. I’ll get there. I always tie things up.
I’m trying to tell you you’re not alone. Maybe you see things differently than others. Perhaps your view of the world clashes with society, but you don’t feel you can say anything because no one will understand you.
Maybe you’re like me in the sense that when you were a kid, you had questions about life and the way things seemed to work. You didn’t agree with what you were seeing play out, but you had no one to ask about it because you knew you would only receive answers from those who were programmed by their upbringing.
Basically, that meant everyone.
And it’s possible this was taking place before you even knew you were different. Before the veil had lifted.
Before you put those sunglasses on.
I spent my entire life this way. Not belonging anywhere, but so desperately wanting to fit in.
Somewhere.
I remember when I was younger, I had entered the 12-step program for my unsavory tendencies regarding alcohol (I’ve since naturally outgrown that without having to spend the rest of my life abstaining, but that’s another conversation). And while you’d think this would have been a challenging time in and of itself, the truth is, I was thrilled that I had finally, for the first time, felt like I’d belonged somewhere.
I had a group of like-minded people to hang out with. There was a label I could wear. I had a purpose.
And all was good.
Until it wasn’t.
Eventually, I realized I didn’t belong there either. Something about the group mentality didn’t quite jive with me.
I stopped going. I quit being the label.
And then there I was again.
Just me.
The wanderer.
Sure, I had friends. Some of them I’m still in touch with.
But for the most part, I’m something of a loner.
A hermit.
It’s because I see things others don’t, so this makes for some uncomfortable conversations.
When people discuss things like politics, entertainment, trends, fads and other popular group-minded topics, I have little to contribute.
That’s because I KNOW the political system is rigged. That the right and the left are two wings of the same bird.
I’m keenly aware that the entertainment industry is designed as a soft form of mind control.
I know people are followers, including many of those who claim to be leaders.
I know that a true hero does what they do because it’s just what they do – and for no other reason. Yet we see celebrities as our saviours. Our thought leaders. The ones to look up to. To copy. To imitate.
To admire.
I hear people discuss the latest episode of whatever ridiculous housewives or reality show they’ve watched, oblivious to the fact that this garbage is poisoning the minds of society, and especially our young ones.
I see blogs out there offering solutions to problems that very few people, if any, seem to understand at the core level.
I see things like war, violence and division being touted as necessary, and even glamourized. People seem to want peace, but encourage the exact opposite.
And heaven forbid, you point this out, you’re disregarded as someone who’s argumentative, as though you just don’t get it. Or maybe those you do say something to agree with you – as you notice they see themselves as part of the problems you’ve just pointed out. They finally realize they’re contributing to the exact same chaos they say they’re against, but once you part ways, they no longer want to associate with you because that conversation just challenged their fragile ego.
They had to admit to having been wrong.
And when it comes to the false sense of self – this shell of an identity we humans confuse as our true being, once that’s been shattered, even just a bit, all hell breaks loose.
So if you’re anything like me, you stand alone.
You observe.
Is this a bad thing?
I guess that depends on how you look at it.
Perspective. It’s the deciding factor of whether your experiences will hurt you or save you.
I’ll expand on that in a moment.
But before you continue, you should know this is a long post. It isn’t meant to be skimmed. It’s designed to be read and absorbed with full attention.
Just thought I’d be upfront about that.
Walking the Road Less Traveled is a Lonely, but Rewarding Journey
I’m aware that we humans prefer to travel in packs.
We’re like animals in that sense.
There’s safety in numbers. And when one lacks the connection to the inherent wisdom inside of them that shows them where to go, how to act and what decisions to make, we rely on others to help guide us.
The pickle we seem to find ourselves in, though, has to do with the lack of truly independent thought that can be the very thing that gives rise to real solutions.
To awakening.
To becoming whole within ourselves.
People don’t seem to understand that group identity isn’t so cool. And even though we experience the pain of feeling separated from society by “not looking the part, having nice things and ‘winning’,” instead of finding the guru within themselves, learning to become free thinkers and relying on the wisdom within their own consciousness, they fight to belong to a system that’s designed to encompass a herd like mentality, ignorance and people willing to obey masters.
Did you get that?
I know it was a long sentence. Some might consider it one of those run on sentences.
It’s a grammar no-no.
Oops, I guess I just broke a rule.
Oh well.
I also just got off track for a minute.
Can you still follow what I was saying? Or did I distract you?
See, when you know something, you know it. You could be directed off course. Shit could fall on your lap and deter your path.
You could wind up in a different direction than the one you intended to set out on. You’ll certainly be tested along the way.
But when you are free…when you know thyself because you are no longer confused as to who you are (the real “I” vs. the small “me“), you make your own rules, you express your thoughts your way and you can be thrown off course and you’ll still know what you were talking about because you’re speaking your truth.
Not to be confused with beliefs, though.
Beliefs aren’t necessarily truth. If they were, we’d all agree that serving God involves killing people (and you know as well as I do that some religions involve this sort of nonsense in their teachings). You wouldn’t see things like left/ right paradigms because if beliefs were objective truth, and people just knew they were right, what would there be to disagree about?
See, beliefs are nothing more than concepts that have been fed and acted upon over time. Because they’ve been given such merit, they’ve solidified into the material realm and have thus created physical proof that our beliefs are, in fact, truth.
But beliefs are nothing more than ideas we’ve given our attention to. Sometimes, they can be harmless, even helpful.
But they can also cause some crazy shit to happen.
And when you take beliefs and magnify them through group mentality, they can do a lot of damage.
I feel one of the most dangerous things to ever exist on this planet is the presence of the individual who thinks they are right about their beliefs and are too inflexible to see anything else.
None of us knows nearly as much as we think we do. The reason is because we’ve been programmed.
You may not realize this. You’ll probably deny it.
You’ll have no idea what I’m talking about because you don’t know what you don’t know. You’re unconsciously unconscious.
Uncomfortably comfortable.
You see things aren’t right in the world, and you want to be part of the solution. But you can’t because you only see band-aids whereas I see the infection at its core.
Human consciousness – or lack thereof. That’s the root of it all.
Every sage, master or teacher that has ever walked this planet and spoke about unity, spirituality and transcending the human condition understood that the flaw within us had to do with being unable to see what was right in front of us this entire time.
The programming. The brainwashing. The conditioning.
The herd mentality.
Group thought.
A centralized computer system that’s taken hold of our consciousness – infusing us with artificial intelligence at every possible level.
Now as I point this out, am I suggesting that I’m one of these masters?
Nope.
I’m a student. I still have quite a bit of work to do to free myself of the shadows and issues weighing me down. The only difference between me and society is that I know what I don’t know. I know what’s inside of me. When it shows up in the form of trials, disturbances, chaos and pain, I know these are the things I carry around within me that need to be released.
I also see the corruption, compliments of the control grid, for what it is.
Intentional, deliberate, sinister.
Dependent on the order followers who obey the harsh commands of those who deem them just as dispensable as the rest of us drifters and so-called “useless eaters.”
Yet, this is also a gift, but only if we use it intelligently.
We can use the problems we face as tools for self-awareness. Won’t happen, though, in the presence of willful ignorance.
Facing the War in the World Starts By Facing the War Within
I don’t run from pain. I don’t deny my imperfections.
My aim isn’t to be a thought leader, a public figure or some guru or expert because that’s not my job.
I learned the difference between caring about how I treat others and what wisdom they have to offer me through constructive criticism, vs their opinions – which have nothing to do with me whatsoever.
I also know this world is filled with chaos, and I know why.
It’s because there are individuals who wish to control humanity, and so far, they’ve done a damn good job.
So much so that I could sit here and type these words and you won’t see it, even though I’ve just spelt it out as clearly and as simply as possible.
Try to tell people they’ve been controlled throughout their lives – that what they think is true actually isn’t and you know what they’ll say?
Prove it.
That’s right. People want proof, even though the proof is all around us, appearing as the effects of a cause of which no one understands because they won’t take the time to look. To see what’s directly in front of them.
An open mind isn’t enough for these folks. It can’t be when one is married to their beliefs.
Proof is nothing more than what is right now and what has been. I’m not saying proof is bad or unnecessary. It helps to distinguish the difference between what’s real and what’s hearsay.
But you can never prove what exists in the mental realm – the initial step of all creation. Consciousness can’t be proven either.
Nope. Flexibility and an open mind is what’s necessary to receive the type of insight I’m talking about.
I can assure you that when the veil was lifted for me, I didn’t depend on proof.
But, I wasn’t gullible, and I’m not suggesting that you be either.
Instead, I felt my discomfort, faced my own belief systems head on and challenged everything I thought I’d ever known. I also took a good, long look at myself, the world and saw patterns. I allowed myself to see the “what is, what was” from an expanded perspective.
I became a seeker. One who allowed all sorts of information to make its way to me.
I didn’t need to ask anyone for help.
I was the willing student, and because this was true, life presented me with teachers.
This all came with a price, though. The cost was that I had to be willing to walk the road less traveled. To take this journey alone if I had to, knowing that just because I may not be in the company of my physical friends, family and others that I really wasn’t alone at all.
What to Take from All of This
I know I probably came across sounding sad in this and some of my other posts.
But there’s something you need to know.
It’s ok to be sad sometimes. In a world where so many of us chase happiness, success and prosperity, if we don’t allow ourselves the full experience of being a human – which includes all of the feelings, emotions and negativity, we won’t elevate, expand and grow.
Sadness can be a temporary thing. Sometimes it hangs out a little longer than we’d like it to. That can be up to us.
I allow sadness into my life. I don’t sit around and hang on to it. I just welcome it in when it shows up, I have a conversation with it and then I watch it leave as soon as I discover something else to feel joyful about.
And I can find joy in just about anything, even when sadness is the underlying emotion at the time.
Being in the kitchen, watching videos of people being kind, reading a good book (fiction or otherwise), laughing at something funny and having thought-provoking conversations all offer bliss. So just because I may sound sad doesn’t mean it defines me. It’s just part of the whole.
I say this because perhaps you feel that sadness, depression and/or other negative emotions are a no-no.
I’m here to tell you that’s bullshit.
Feel your feelings. Embrace your emotions.
The idea is not to ruminate in them.
Instead, watch them. Be curious. Ask them what they have to tell you.
We live in a world where things are strange. Conditions aren’t terribly savory out there, so knowing this, why deny how you feel about it?
I say if we don’t experience turbulence over the way life is being played out, we’re in deep denial. Being this way only encourages us to separate a part of ourselves. To become fragmented. This is how our shadows develop.
And these shadows control our lives without our conscious awareness.
Feeling sad, angry, depressed, etc in a world where it’s encouraged that you fit in, be happy and succeed all the time isn’t easy. But the good news is, if you can feel all of your emotions, and do this wisely, you will become someone who lives their truth.
Living your truth happens when you know thyself.
But to know thyself, you’d have to be brave enough to face the war within. To detangle the web of chaos within your mind.
It’s a tough road. One that doesn’t necessarily involve social gatherings, busyness and being the life at the party.
But if you choose this path, it will lead you toward something that can’t be chased in this physical realm.
You’d have to have faith in something outside your limited five sense reality. Something far more expansive than your intellect, which so many confuse as Intelligence.
To walk the road less traveled, you’d have to be honest with yourself. To see the world as it is.
It isn’t about whether the cup is half full or empty. Those are interesting tools in which you can use to expand your perspective.
But the truth is, sometimes the glass is half empty, and that, my friend, offers its own gifts.
Had it not been for the sadness throughout my life, I’d never be able to fully appreciate joy. I can enjoy bliss without feeling the need to smother it or hang on to it without letting it go because I don’t fear its opposite.
The multitude of emotions show up to tell me things. To wake me up to what’s inside of me.
I listen. I inquire. I remain still.
That’s because I’m a seeker.
Some people have asked me how I know the things I know. It isn’t because I’m so smart or gifted – or that I study or follow a specific teaching.
I appreciate some of the teachings out there and I’ll even reference the ones that have taught me something, but I don’t rely on them.
I walk the road less traveled.
And because of this, I may seem alone more often than not, but I’m truly never alone.
That’s because I’m open to the vast Intelligence that surrounds me. It surrounds you too.
You’ll experience it more when you’ve let the gunk out, freed your mind and distanced yourself from the crowd of followers otherwise known as society.
You can be IN the world without being OF it.
That’s walking the road less traveled.
Be a seeker, my friend. Remain a student.
You’ll learn, you’ll teach – and it will all happen as it should.
Naturally.
Until next time, take care.
Dana
If you enjoyed this, check out my recent books. They offer some kick ass ideas about freeing your mind and bullshit-free spiritual maturity.
Choose Awareness (How to Free Your Mind and Become Your Own Guru)
Streetwise Philosophy (A Bullshit-Free Approach to Spiritual Maturity)
Amar kumar says
Hey Dana,
We know very well – Life is difficult and This is one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult-once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult.
Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters. Eventually, thanks for sharing your best experience regarding this subject.
With best wishes,
Amar kumar
Dana Gore says
Hi Amar,
That’s part of what this post was about. Not fighting some of the things we deem negative, like being sad or having difficult times.
The world has gotten pretty loud (I say that often). While I would never recommend wallowing or ruminating, fighting the “what is” seems to only keep us caged in it – and keeps us ignorant.
I’ve found that true self-discovery and the journey that takes place once the veil has been lifted can be a lonely experience because nothing’s the same anymore…and you’re no longer the same to those who’ve known you.
Transcending is exactly what I’m talking about.
Thanks for commenting and stopping by 🙂
Mitch Mitchell says
This is deep! My comment probably won’t come close to doing it justice.
I’m an only child, and a military child at that. I’ve never belonged to any cliques whatsoever; not even sports counts. I’ve never done anything considered “illegal” or “wrong”; never even thought about it.
I used to spend all of my time alone until I got married, and even then there were long periods I spent alone (when you’re a traveling consultant that’s your life). Now… Mom’s moved in and life has changed.
We’re not nearly alone anymore, and yet we are. This is a road less traveled by us, yet it’s a road that shows a lot of wear and tear because once you’re on it, you realize so many other people have been on it and are still on it. Frankly, sometimes it makes things better to know that even when you feel you’re alone that you’re not, if that makes sense.
As for the “if you haven’t experienced sadness you’ll never know joy” line… I’ve never believed that. If you were born into a wonderful family in a wonderful place and you’ve laughed your entire life… I’m thinking you know exactly what joy is. 🙂
Dana Gore says
Hi Mitch,
Good to see you here 🙂
Also, I’m impressed you read the entire (almost 3,000 word) post.
Yes, this might be considered deep. Your comment did it plenty of justice because you shared your thoughts. I’m always cool with that.
Like you, I never belonged to any cliques either, although when I was younger, it was just soooo important to me to fit in. I think a lot of people feel that way, at least at some point in their lives.
It’s fine that the line about not experiencing joy if you’ve never known sadness doesn’t resonate with you. It isn’t an absolute for everyone. Mostly, I speak in blanket statements. More than that, though…it isn’t so much that one can’t know joy, but they may not appreciate it as much.
However, considering we live in a world of duality, it’s tough to understand a thing without its opposite, especially since both exist. And it’s occurred to me that since people so often chase happiness because the sadness can be so encompassing and downright painful, my approach is to embrace what is since we can’t run away from what’s inside of us.
Not for long anyway.
That being said, I know people who have experienced mostly joy in their lives – and that’s awesome. We never know what someone’s life’s path is, so it’s certainly possible they may not need to experience as much sadness to understand joy.
That’s my take anyway. And since I’m a student, I’ll never claim to know it all. Just my perspective.
Thanks for stopping by.