May 2019 – Breakaway Consciousness

Emotional Bank Accounts: Trust | #Life | #Growth | #Change | #Friendship

“My love is unconditional. My trust and my respect are not.”
– Anonymous

BreakawayIndividual.com
Zy Marquiez
May 31, 2019

After getting home today, I ended up thinking what an interesting concept trust is for many reasons. The reason I even pondered such a thought was due to something that took place online.

Yesterday I ran into a thought someone shared that had to deal with trust. Thence, while getting some work done it occurred to me that trust is one of the very pillars of emotional bank accounts.

Trust allows for relationships of all types to grow; trust fosters comfort; trust fosters a certain level of understanding, deeper understanding; trust allows for individuals to not get stressed out for whatever reason; trust, ultimately, is a significant deposit into emotional bank accounts.

The statement I read could be the equivalent, at least to me, of, “I-got-your-back-no-matter-what.” That’s a level of trust that’s not easy to arrive too. Was what I read intended like that? I have no idea, though it seemed like it. What I do know is that the statement was based on trust, which is the Rosetta stone of this blog post.

In all honesty, the statement made me think about a lot of things revolving around trust. That’s the thing, trust filters in everything in life, so much so that it’s actually taken for granted at a deeper level. This is because usually, we all give and take various levels of trust like candy on Halloween, and since this type of circumstance happens nigh on auto-pilot, not a lot of thought is given to it [1]. But trust has many ramifications that seep in countless directions.

Trust is what makes friendships grow; trust is what makes communities grow; trust is what allows nations to be established; trust is what ultimately allows progress to take place to the utmost extent.

Without trust, without one of the pillars of individuals and society, growth cannot be had; without trust, society cannot stand firmly upon its foundation.

And nothing great can stand too long without a proper foundation; for cracks will irrevocably take place within the foundation, and then those will affect the rest of the structure.

But don’t trust me on any of this, nay. Trust yourself and find out if the above makes sense, and what other ramifications can be had from such a concept.

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[1] The fact that trust is handed out ‘easily’ might seem wrong at first blush, but let’s ponder a bit. Don’t you trust a teacher, even without knowing them, with your child? Don’t you trust a pharmacist to know everything about drugs, without ever questioning them? Don’t you trust a police officer when they arrive on a scene? Don’t you trust a politician to do the right thing? Okay, am being facetious about the last one, since most politicians aren’t deserving of the level of trust that’s imparted at them, but the prior individuals are to some extent.

People don’t actively wonder if they’re going to trust a doctor, teacher, lawyer, pharmacist, etc. they just do it. That kind of blind trust can backfire more often than you realize, except it’s never seen from the lens of trust, which is why it’s never talked about, yet alone pondered at length.

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Meandering Mindfulness | #Mindfulness | #Health

“Every morning we are born again. What we do today matters most.”
– Buddha

“Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.”
– Jon Kabbat-Zinn

BreakawayIndividual.com
Zy Marquiez
May 30, 2019

At this current point today, I’m well over a dozen cups of coffee.

You might ask, how does that couple into mindfulness, to which I would respond, how does that not couple into mindfulness?

This is not the first time that I have struggled and this has happened to me. I have made poor choices like this when it comes to health in the past, but at least I am being attentive and pondering them [1]. Stress is the vanguard reason for me drinking so much coffee, but I know deep down inside that if I am being totally mindful and in control I wouldn’t allow such instances to take place.

This is brought up for others to contemplate whatever it is that they struggle with when they are stressed out and life brings the waves that it inevitably does. Obstacles will always be obstacles, but (1) they can be avoided by finding a new approach, a new path, (2) they can be tackled head on, or (3) they can be ignored altogether if the choice is possible.

Running headlong into an obstacle as if I am Juggernaut from X-Men, as I have done today, is definitely not the prudent or logical thing to do, and yet, here I am, dancing self-torched amid the rubble of uncommon sense.

Obstacles always come to pass, and we should be prepared to face them as best as possible to our utmost abilities. But this can only be accomplished by a proactive approach, which involves Mindfulness as one of the tools.

This is because Mindfulness is the skeleton key to innumerable solutions and the port from which the individual traverses into healthier pastures. But such cannot be accomplished unless we are focused on each step we take.

Those steps can lead to a healthy or unhealthy life, to a mindful or mindless approach, or to a positive or a negative future. Given that the future is fused to the past, and both center upon the present, now is all we have to be mindful.

Mindfulness starts this very moment.

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[1] When I’m very healthy, drinking lots of coffee isn’t a big deal. But right now, it is. I’m done drinking coffee for today, but I know I have to remain cognizant every day after.

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#Quote Of The Day | #Dreams | #Dreamers | #Imagination | #Life | #JamesAllen

“The dreamers are the saviors of the world.”
– James Allen

Simplifying For The Sake Of Health | #Mindset | #Health | #Mindfulness | #SocialMedia

“Our life is always frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”
– Henry David Thoreau

“Simplify your thoughts, desires and life. Complexities and confusion make a hell out of heaven.”
– Philip Arnold

BreakawayIndividual.com
Zy Marquiez
May 30, 2019

What follows is part vent, part blog post on simplicity, but it’s going to be a bit longer than my usual blog posts. Although it might seem that I am meandering a bit, there’s a logical sequence to certain steps I (and others) took yesterday across various social media platform. More on that in a moment though.

Yesterday, I wrote about meeting someone that just moved here that was a family member, and that was my uncle. We got to talking about a variety of things, but one moment stood out most of all.

Sometimes in life, while you are talking to someone you get to a point where the conversation takes a very serious tone, the type of tone when you just have to shut the @#!$ up and let someone vent their heart out; this was one of those moments. I let him vent about his health, life, and him not having too much time left, and then the conversation leveled out to less dismal topics. This conversation left me incredibly emotional, though I masked it rather well (I hope) and I knew I just wanted to go home. Why so?

Because it reminded me of a circumstance that took place when I was much younger, though both scenarios aren’t exactly alike, but you will understand why it reminded me in a second.

In the early 2000s, I visited Puerto Rico for the first time since we moved as a family to Arizona. In a nutshell, at one point I wanted to take a picture with my grandma. And anybody that knows me personally knows that I hate taking pictures. I don’t mind it, but most of the time I don’t (usually) like taking pictures for reasons I will not get into here. And a lot of the pictures that I have taken are always on my phone, mostly pictures with friends, family and so on. This is because if I do end up taking a picture, it means a lot to me, which is why the pictures always with me. That, or you have to be one of my conniving friends (bless their hearts) and sneak a picture when I least expect it. Taking pictures of friends? Sure, I love that; I love photography in general, and I love taking pictures of my friends. But I’m not usually in a lot of the pictures.

The reason I say that is because even though I hate pictures where I’m in them, I wanted really bad to take a picture with my grandmother when we visited; so you know, I had to want to take a picture with my grandma really bad for me to even bring it up. That last day, for hours, I hounded her about taking a picture with her and she wasn’t having it. Her reasons were, because she didn’t look ‘good’ and so on. I told her that I didn’t care, but she wasn’t having it. In any respect, I gave up because she was getting annoyed and I didn’t want to bug her any longer. Now when leaving, I just had this overwhelming feeling that I would never see her again. I had never had a feeling like that before, and I thought it was stupid. In reality, I didn’t know when we (or I) would be back to visit, but I just felt really overwhelmed. It turned out that she passed away a couple of years later, all because a medical mistake in which the medical personnel didn’t read a damn chart.

I’ve searched everywhere, but I don’t think I ever took a picture with my grandma, at least not one that I can remember. I’ve gone through family photos and so on, and all I’ve seen are her and I when I was much younger, a baby for instance. Anyways, the point of this whole (lengthy) preamble is that, although I do have a feeling I will see my uncle again, he’s already on borrowed time.

This whole scenario with my grandma flashed in my mind, which made it hard for me to keep my composure because well, knowing that someone’s ticket with the reaper has already been punched will make anyone sad, if not downright depressed.

After we were done having dinner, we said our goodbyes, and I went home (and couldn’t get there fast enough) because I just wanted to lay down and not think, not that that’s possible but I just had to get home. I get home, and after changing my mind, I write the blog post that I did, which involved my uncle because that was my way of sort of venting on the issue, but I held a lot back as is evident now.

From there, I end up deciding not to lie down, and instead opt to get on a variety of social media platforms to see if I can just talk to some friends and vent. Lo and behold, it’s nothing but fire and brimstone everywhere, people arguing over the most inconsequential and trivial things that, in the grand scope of things, don’t really matter. What’s worse is how everyone were treating each other (or me) in a few respects, so I was about to make a call and get some friends to do our usual Facebook mass purge of all of our accounts as well as on other social media, but someone beat me to the punch and was seeing if we wanted to start a group on Skype to do it all simultaneously while catching up.

Before going on, why would it be important for me to purge accounts on many social media platform? This is because (1) I have already lost a few friends this year and it’s been the toughest year emotionally speaking yet that I can remember. Moreover, as mentioned before, (2) my uncle is dealing with stage 3 cancer that can’t be handled and is already on borrowed time, (3) there’s a family member in a coma (not joking) that my lovely father just happens to tell part of the entire family weeks later because (you just can’t make this stuff up) he “didn’t think it was important”.

Predictably, I’m till downright furious about that. ANY family member being in a coma, HELL, ANY HUMAN BEING, being in a coma, is as real as it gets. Not only that, but there’s also (4) the issue of my Mom’s health where she doesn’t seem to be getting completely better even though the doctors say “everything is okay” and “the cancer is gone” (we’ve heard that one before). Lastly, (5) I have been out of remission with my disease for months, and any stress affects it greatly, which is why I often seek a mindful approach, as well as employ yoga when I can at home or the gym.

My own personal reason for purging (or muting) accounts was due to stress and my goal to simplify where I can in my attempts to regain my health and get back into remission. I can’t be the best me if I’m not healthy, and I can’t be healthy if I repeatedly expose myself to things that are stressful, no matter how mindful I am, and expect for significant progress to take place. These were the vanguard reasons for me purging accounts of myriad types yesterday.

With this personally in mind, myself and others all started on Skype, but when the room got really crowded we moved to Discord, and we just began purging accounts for 6-7 hours or so. It’s exhausting removing hundreds and hundreds of accounts from multiple Facebook accounts that I use for activism and the like, dozens on Instagram, WordPress, Twitter, you name it.

I just wasn’t having it any longer, my health’s too important for me to subject myself to things I don’t have too. Some people, the ones I’ve known for a long time, I either told the straight up that I’m muting them because x,y,z, reason, and they understood. Others, if we didn’t know them in any way shape or form, or had never even realized they were on our friends list, then they got removed, while also removing accounts that are constant negativity for the sake of negativity; that was the main approach for myself and my friends. And people that I ‘kind of’, ‘sort of’, knew, it was fifty-fifty based on judgment calls for me personally.

It’s not like I don’t care about some of these people, I do. But the bottom line is that, to a great extent, we are a product of our environments, History and Epigenetics have taught us this much. If you end up subjecting yourself to stressful situations, negativity, and lots of things that you don’t have too, it’s just going to have detrimental effects on your being on an overarching basis.

Given that, at an emotional level, my plate is incredibly full and I’m already significantly stressed about many circumstances, I’m just going to be incredibly selective to what I expose myself too. It’s not that I don’t care or simply won’t talk to people and debate, or that I will not at all read things that might seem dismal and so on; it’s just that repeatedly doing so when there’s no need to doesn’t make any sense.

This year has already been incredibly tough, and I know it’s going to get tougher with time given all the above and more. I just don’t want to get to a point where I irrevocably shatter and can’t pull myself back together again is all.

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#Quote Of The Day | #Simplicity | #Life | #Mindset | #Mindfulness

“Simplify your thoughts, desires and life. Complexities and confusion make a hell out of heaven.”
– Philip Arnold

Book Review: The War Of Art – Break Through The Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield | #SmartReads | #Art | #Writing | #Poetry | #Poems | #Dance

BreakawayIndividual.com
Zy Marquiez
May 29, 2019

The War Of Art – Break Through The Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield is a very innovative way to look at the resistance individuals face (a.k.a. writier’s block, et al.) when attempting to walk the path of a creatively conscious life.

Because resistance is something that we all face in one way shape or form life, this book is a book that stands to help everyone in their own unique way.

Pressfield minces no words in his apt definition of what holds creative individuals back: Resistance.

Resistance is what leaves most of us feeling like abject failures after we’ve lost multiple bouts with it. The paradox of this conundrum is that Resistance isn’t as untouchable as it might seem at first blush. Yes, Resistance is the paradise of procrastination on the creative path, it is the ultimate obstacle, the veritable Darth Vader. As such, resistance is the epitome of self-sabotage. But, therein lies the key to this curious conundrum: self.

Marauding deep within our darkest inner realm, Resistance is the ultimate enemy which seeks to slay every one of our hopes and cast limitations into each and every one of our dreams.

As Pressfield points out:

“Resistance is a bully. Resistance has no strength of its own; it’s power derives entirely from our fear of it. A bully will back down before the runtiest twerp who stands his ground.”[1][Bold Emphasis Added]

In other words, if the percipient individual – guided by the self – is to overcome this ruthless opponent, they need to face it head on. As the saying goes, fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. Like the ego, it only grows when you feed it, so cutting Resistance of at the pass is crucial. And this is where this book shines, in the proactive ways not only to look at the matter at hand at a deeper level, but how to handle it as well.

The War of Art is split into 3 parts. In Part One, Pressfield shows a plethora of ways in which Resistance can be better understood. Thereafter, Part Two features ways that the individual can tackle resistance in myriad ways, while Book Three goes beyond that and into deeper ruminations on invoking the ever-elusive Muse. Likewise, Pressfield also covers what separates amateurs from professionals, and an unorthodox – but refreshing – look at the artist and how the artist fits into the grand scheme of things. The book yields more, but those are the core concepts, the veritable foundation of the book.

As the author aptly notes, if Resistance couldn’t be overcome, the great works that humanity has wouldn’t be available at all for people to enjoy and learn from.

If you are an individual who runs head on into Resistance daily – and who doesn’t? – or needs a healthy dose of inspiration, this book will definitely help you handle those in spades. And if you seek to live a more creative life, whether by hobby or profession, then this is a must read.

One fascinating thing covered by the author is how he broaches the subject of the ever elusive Muse. Pressfield’s unorthodox approach to invoking the Muse is a breath of fresh air, and one that we can all relate too. In his own words:

“When we sit down each day and do our work, power concentrates around us. The Muse takes note of our dedication. She approves. We have earned favor in her sight. When we sit down and work, we become like a magnetized rod that attracts iron filings. Ideas come. Insights accrete.

“Just as Resistance has its seat in hell, so Creation has its home in heaven. And it’s not just a witness, but an eager and creative ally.”[2]

After reading the book, my only wish was that the book was not longer. That’s the sign of a great book.

If you want an active ally to accompany you in your personal battleground against Resistance and need a spark to light the tinder of action, get this book.
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Source:

[1] Steven Pressfield, The War Of Art, p. 99.
[2] Ibid., p. 108

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Suggested Reading & Watching:

What Is The Difference Between Education & Public Schooling?
Logical Fallacies Employed In Every Day Life
Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto
Weapons Of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto
13 Great Reasons To Study Logic
How A Generation Lost Its Culture – by Professor Patrick Deneen
A Different Kind Of Teacher by John Taylor Gatto
Socratic Logic by Peter Kreeft Ph.D.
Philosophy 101 by Peter Kreeft Ph.D.
Brave New World & Brave New World Revisited by Aldous Huxley
What Is Education? The Elite Curriculum – John Taylor Gatto
Breakaway Guide To Censorship, Disinformation, Logical Fallacies & More
How To Read A Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren
History So It Doesn’t Repeat – The Deliberate Dumbing Down Of America With Charlotte Iserbyt
Classrooms Of The Heart [Documentary] – John Taylor Gatto
Sumerhill School – A New View On Childhood by A.S. Neil
Social Engineering 101
Dialectical Thinking – Zeno, Socrates, Kant, Marx by Tommi Juhani Hanjijarvi Ph.D.
Underground History Of American Education With John Taylor Gatto
The True Purpose Of Modern Schooling
Getting Things Done by David Allen
Open-Source Method: Genius Education – Examples | John Taylor Gatto
The Trivium – The Liberal Arts Of Logic, Grammar & Rhetoric by Sister Miriam Joseph Ph.D.
Cultural Literacy – What Every American Needs To Know by E.D. Hirsch Jr.
A Rulebook For Arguments by Anthony Weston
A Workbook For Arguments by David R. Morrow & Anthony Wesson
Drilling Through The Core – Why Common Core Is Bad For American Education by Sandra Stotsky & Contributors

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About The Author:

Zy Marquiez is an avid book reviewer, inquirer, an open-minded skeptic, yogi, and freelance writer who aims at empowering individuals while also studying and regularly mirroring subjects like Consciousness, Education, Creativity, The Individual, Ancient History & Ancient Civilizations, Forbidden Archaeology, Big Pharma, Alternative Health, Space, Geoengineering, Social Engineering, Propaganda, and much more.

#Quote Of The Day | #Mindfulness | #Thoughts | #Mindset | #Simplicity #QualityOfConsciousness

“You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.”
– James Allen, Author of As A Man Thinketh