The Illuminated Life

Though people belong to the same species, they are vastly different from each other. Early civilizations set firm rules for their communities in order to gain control and be productive. This carried on through the ages, though some managed to breakthrough conceived boundaries and make mild ripples on traditional conventions. Expressions of individuality certainly have some release in today’s society. In most countries you can speak your beliefs, dye your hair bright colours, or start a political organisation, without losing your job or getting arrested. In countries still centred on communal control, it takes steady and determined personalities to blur the boundaries.   We are born with pages yet unwritten, but in the teaching process we are constantly shown the rules. These rules are set out for us so we can be moulded into competent adults that contribute to society. Some guidelines are needed for a community to be an effective, safe and happy place to be. While we nee...

  As a species humanity treads forth with a desire to collect. The purpose of this collecting is to gain or own something. Maybe an individual is an avid collector of fossils, records or antiques, but it goes much further than that! What if a good percentage of your life is governed by a need to gather things? Some part of our make-up is quite scientific, it needs to accumulate, research and store away. Part of this collecting consists of physical objects and the other component belongs to emotion and intellect. Our physical needs lead us to pursue the basics of food, water, shelter and clothing. Well before this, even as children we are on the lookout for special things worth gathering, making or trading. Once we have a house, hut or safe place to commune we seek opportunities, or occasionally they come to us. From here work skills are collected and improved, along with funds that let us gather even more. The most important things anyone has in their emotional possession ...