Heresy

"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence." Albert Einstein

Heresy
Simple word of fear
condemned millions to their death.
and more.
A word, through time and culture
changes in its meaning
but not in its limitations
Heresy, wielded by those
who dare not understand.
Heresy,
how many more generations
would you condemn to death?

For me there is nothing too divine, sacred or mundane, that I would not question. Due to growing up in an "Apartheid" ruled South Africa; from an early age, I realised that Information originating from authoritative sources is not necessarily true. I realised that if I want to live life from a basis of truth, I must find out for myself what is true and what is false. The best way to do this is to "walk your talk." I would not recommend it to the faint-hearted though. I know that if I lived in another time and place I would probably have been burnt at the stake. On the 15.11.1992 I made a decision that many would say could only come from an insane deluded mind, though in fact it was just the opposite. In the course of my studies I had to, sooner or later, come up against the concept of death. We are told that the only thing in life we can trust as dead sure is death. But is it? So I decided to live my life as though I were immortal.

This decision had nothing to do with a fear of death. I have no fear of death. The thing most people fear about death is that it might be painful. That really is a fear of pain rather than death. If there is nothing after death, just oblivion, then what is there to fear? You will then feel nothing. No regrets no pain nothing. If there is something after death in the religious vein, then what is there to fear about that? Unless of course you have a guilty conscience. (Note to self: con - science, con of science? Must investigate) I have faced imminent death both through external factors and internal; I have no fear of death itself. I have held my life in my own hands, where I held the power whether I live or die. Where no other external factor or god had the power over whether I live or die; and I chose life. If I were to die right this instant I would have no regrets and be satisfied that I lived rich and fulfilling life. It would be a pity though, since I am still so far from my full potential. The full potential of the "I" that I am. However, you cannot pretend to be immortal because then you would not truly live as an immortal would. You really have to believe at least in the possibility. Only after I satisfied myself that it is possible from an emotional, spiritual and intellectual point of view, could I embark on my personal experiment? The first thing I did was to watch my thoughts to eliminate all deathist thoughts from my mind. I did this by observing my thoughts from a witness perspective.

Things like "dead sure", "I could die for it", and all the limiting concepts attached to it. For example the "The urgency we feel of having to have something right now no matter what the cost, because you might be dead tomorrow. All the short term thinking… I wanted to live the life of an immortal but still live life as an ordinary human being. Daily chores included, and no escapes to isolated caves. It had to be absolutely practical, the life of Joe average with a difference of perspective. I searched out eternal values that transcends fashion, culture and mythical belief as the basis of my living. It has been tough going, with much disillusionment and pain.

If I think about having to do it over again, I get cold shivers. Ignorance can indeed be bliss. But it has been so worth it, leaving me emotionally free. I now know that the only real freedom one can have is that of emotional freedom. If you have emotional freedom you are free no matter in which prison they put you. "To live the ordinary life in a non-ordinary way." What can you trust if there is no dead sure? *Verewig is Afrikaans for Forever

tags: immortality  freedom  pain  fear