Questions and Reflections X

If you could stop your aging indefinitely, would you?
Yes. The gift of longer, healthier and fuller lives is something I believe we should cultivate with as much vigor as possible. If we enable more people to also navigate development well we can create vibrant societies that merge the richness of experienced and developed humans with the vitality of our physical peak. Any chance we have to optimize life we should embrace.

Describe a sensation or feeling that lacks a specific word.
The sense of omnidirectional passion, attraction, care and bliss that comes with unhindered love is something I’ve never been able to anchor to a word. It seems undescribable, but when you share it with someone who knows, there’s no need to explain at all, is there?

What is your greatest struggle?
My greatest struggle is to overcome the doubts and contractions that keep me from living in the abandon of a life dedicated to evolution. Too often I allow unnecessary limits to be self-imposed and keep me from a dedication to practice. This seems to always cycle back for me, a great knot of internal and external excuses for not fully inhabiting my commitment to divinity.

What’s your favorite–or lucky–number?
Three is my number and it resonates throughout my experience. The Good, The Beautiful and The True; Buddha, Sangha, Dharma; I, We and It; and on and on the list of threes goes. Even when it comes to relationships I’ve found some of the most exciting moments have been when I’ve been with two others. Three seems to have some sort of universal significance, and certainly has a personal one in my case.

What’s one of your greatest strengths?
My sense of equanimity is my greatest strength, I believe. It allows me to be more responsive and present in any situation, especially painful ones. In work, in play and in love, it always proves to be invaluable to be composed even in the grips of the most passionate or turbulent moment.


If you were given a year’s worth of lessons, what would you learn
I would love to learn another language or relearn French. Spanish, Arabic and French would be my first choices to take lessons in, though I think Arabic would edge out the others. Language is one of the last great divides we face as we move into a world of greater communion, and it seems like a great limitation to be able to communicate only in one language.

Who has been the most significant person in your life so far?
There have been many significant people in my life, with countless vital people among my friends, family, lovers and mentors who changed me profoundly. In this network of influence I can’t, even after long reflection, pinpoint one or even several people that are most significant. This is due to the blessing of knowing so many extraordinary people, rather than any deficency.

If you had the support of everyone around you, what would you do?
Assuming this support would include the modest financial support to do so, I would begin writing as a full time venture. Writing and life practice are my greatest passions and I would love to be able to forge a life out of the pursuit of those.

You’ve got one month of complete freedom. What do you do?
I’ve been thinking of deepening my spiritual practice lately, and I think I would choose to go on a one month meditation retreat. I think I would benefit from having an immersion of that sort and would be able to bring clarity into my life once the month of freedom was done. Afterall, genuine freedom comes through awakening.

What’s something you changed your mind about recently?
One of the recent shifts in my thinking has been political in nature. For a long time I’ve been a supporter of the NDP, and still maintain leanings toward many of the party’s policies. I’ve become increasingly removed from a lot of its limitations that come from a rather rigid left stance. As I’ve developed a larger and larger understanding of politics I find myself more often reflecting on my own assumptions and moving in the direction of a political stance that includes the many strengths of left and right while forging new territory beyond both without shallow centrism or lack of decisive policy.

What was your favorite recent gift?
I received a padlock heart and chain from Gwen some months ago and I’d have to say it’s my favourite both because of how much she means to me and because it’s a beautiful piece of jewelery.

What’s your favorite chore?
Cleaning out clutter is always enjoyable for me. I find it liberating to free up space by getting rid of things I don’t need. While it can be frustrating to know I still have a lot of junk to do away with, each step is rewarding.

Where do you spend the most time?
I split most of my time between work and being at home. I enjoy my home but my place of work is far less pleasant. To be honest, I think my work environment is draining more often than not and I hope to find a good way to transition into something better before the end of the summer. Increasingly, I think a change of scenery would do wonders for my life.

Who was your best friend as a child?
I didn’t have a best friend for more than a year or two as I was growing up, and even maintaining friendships or any sort was hard in part because I lived in a very rural area.

If you were to write a book, what would it be titled?
I imagine writing a book focused on living with dedication to personal and universal evolution. The title that comes to mind first is Right Evolution, though that immediately seems a terrible name. Perhaps Evolutionary Life?

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