This. I’m surrounded by beauty in every dimension. Past, present, future, here, there, everywhere, life, death, formlessness, it’s all radiantly beautiful. I try to consciously employ smiles at every turn, even in what seems the worst of situations, because there’s a lightness that lingers with me.
What was your favorite toy when you were a child?
It was Lego for me. I loved having the ability to create anything I could think of with the myriad of blocks I had. I always wanted my constructions to be functional, solid and aesthetically pleasing. I think this is reflected in my approach to most of my life today. I try to marry a solid knowledge of how things work with a passionate and creative spark. All that from little plastic blocks? Maybe not, but it didn’t hurt.
What’s the nicest thing you’ve done this week? What’ll be next?
I think I need to make a conscious effort to be nicer, because it’s terribly hard for me to think of something nice I’ve done this week. Most kindnesses I do each day are small, unnoticeable things. I gave my roommate a box of pear slices yesterday, so let’s go with that.
How old do you feel?
I feel 24, my actual age, more or less. I don’t identify with any age, honestly. Thinking about age to me seems like a very foggy prospect. Beyond a certain point it stops giving a good indication of someone’s growth, knowledge and other important traits. I often actually forget my own age. It stopped mattering sometime in the past few years and I just lost track of it. It my sound funny coming from someone so young, but it’s true.
When was the last time you had an argument with someone?
The last arguement I can recall was one with a co-worker of mine about politics. He has a tendency to blame the Libral party’s loss in the last Canadian election on the leader of the New Democratic Party because the Liberals stopped co-operating with the NDP and the NDP forced an election. I tend to defend the NDP and point out that the Liberals ran a poor campaign and didn’t market themselves well (just as the party is doing now, sadly). Politics is something that frustrates me greatly, mostly because of the narrow visions and poor implementation of policy I see so often. I can become quite passionate about the need for a blend strong policy and strong presentation, a mix I find sickeningly lacking. I’ll usually make a point of bringing attention to deficiencies in either of these areas, sometimes with heated responses following.
What will you be doing five years from now?
In five years I imagine I’ll be doing some travelling and extensive writing, living more deeply involved in my practice. If all goes well I’ll have completed a psychology BA or BSc and possibly have done work on a masters or doctorate. Beyond this, I don’t tend to plan that far in advance; I’d rather be responsive to whatever arises in my life.
What’s your greatest fear?
Stagnation is my greatest fear. Whether it’s the universal stagnation of humanity not quite living up to its potential, mucking about, or my own lapses in working to improve my abilities and consciousness, it worries me that we might settle for something less than radiance. The longer I refrain from pushing at my limits, the more I feel as though I’m shrugging off my responsibility to evolve. I fear not being able to contribute to pushing the world deeper into truth, beauty and goodness, and I fear all of us failing in this as well.
Should human cloning be allowed?
I think cloning will happen whether or not we have laws against it, so the question, in a way, is irrelevant. We should work to ensure it happens ethically and so that we can reap the many benefits cloning could offer us. There’s always danger of any technology being in the hands of those not morally capable, but that’s a risk we must take in order to advance and bring new good into the world.