Creativity – Breakaway Consciousness

Book Announcement: Amor Vincit Omnia – Love Conquers All by Zy Marquiez | #Poetry #Prose #Love #Positivity #Writing #WritingCommunity #LoveConquersAll #AmorVincitOmnia #Books #NoctisBlackburn

AVO#1-1

BreakawayIndividual.com
Noctis Blackburn | Zy Marquiez
August 16, 2019

This is my formal announcement for a book that I’ve been working on for nigh two months. Given Zy Marquiez is my other pen name besides Noctis Blackburn, I am choosing to make an announcement here because of how much it means to me and because of how genuinely excited to I am to share this book.

As the above picture shows, the books name is Amor Vincit Omnia – Love Conquers All, which is a poetry book that I’ve put a lot of work and thought into for myriad reasons.

Now, the first point of the book is why I chose a color that’s mostly blue, with highlights of purple and so on, rather than something red? That’s a fantastic question that those that have known about the cover and have given me feedback have asked. One of the reasons for this is because this book is about Love Conquering All through all circumstances, and not just matters between two lovers. More importantly, though Love is usually ascribed the color red for obvious reasons, Love truly knows no boundaries, no colors.

As such, I thought it fitting to go with a more bluish/purple color scheme, rather than a reddish/purple/pink. Concurrently with that, red as Love is emblematic of Valentine’s Day, couples, romance, and such. And while Love between lovers is a part of this book, it’s not the only part of the book. I thought if I wrote the book from only that direction, it would leave a lot to be desired since Love affects all of us, no matter who we are, no matter whether we are in relationships or not, and so on. That said, nigh all the poems take a two person structure since I find it easier to write from that aspect, and I find it more beautiful as well. In conjunction with that, this book features the most amount of notations following well more than half the poems go extend the notion in many directions since human emotion is embedded deep within everyone and just leaving some poems without adding notations from them felt also incomplete since a romantic couple that seeks to do the right thing (or one person even) can still serve as a metaphor for a much more extensive view on Love.

Because of this, I opted to keep this color scheme because I like it a lot and everyone did as well, though they certainly wondered why bluish-purple rather than red/purple/pink and so on. Now, another vanguard consideration in this color scheme which is just as important as anything else is because a follow up to this book is already in the works, and given that that book is about love in the traditional sense with couples, romance, and so on, it’s going to follow a traditional Valentine’s Day-type color scheme, though I still have no conceptualized the cover or anything.

Likewise, I didn’t want to publish two books on Love with very similar color schemes because although Love is traditionally seen in red, as mentioned before, Love truly knows no boundaries nor colors. I would also like to make this part of a Trilogy, given that the first two books are covering important topics, although I believe the first one’s a lot more ‘objective’, while the second one is more ‘subjective’, I would still like to make it three books, although honestly I’m uncertain if I will be able to figure that out any time soon, so no promise there.

The final key consideration I want to discuss is why I chose the cover for this book. If you look at it carefully, you can see that the background is a heart that’s creation an explosion of resonance out of Love, which is essentially the reverse of a blackhole. Whereas a blackhole absorbs everything in sight leaving nothing left essentially, unconditional love is unconditional because it never stops, which I thought an incisive antithesis to something like a black-hole, which could mirror things that stem out of fear, hatred, and so on, which are important topics in the book. I put a lot of thought into all aspects of this book, and am still continuing to make sure to add some tidbits, but on the whole, the book is nigh complete and it’s almost ready to go. That said, it’s going to be around 2-3 weeks before it’s available to the public since I want to make sure that the book’s hardcover versions come out okay given that Lulu has some serious glitches when you uploading files

With everything previously discussed in mind, I would like to leave all of you with one final thought.

No matter where you are, who you are, what you do, and what you are going through, don’t ever forget that Love creates resonance, incredible resonance, and ultimately helps create the world you and all of us live in. The world truly becomes what we collectively create it to be and the power to do that should never be underestimated because each of us has way more power to change things than we often realize.

I could go on and on, but that’s the gist of it. I appreciate all of you taking time out of your day and reading this far.

Hope you all have a fantastic evening, and a phenomenal weekend! Take care of yourselves and be safe. Talk to you soon.

Emotional Bank Accounts: Emotional Self Expression | #Writing | #Honesty | #Life | #Obstacles | #Emotions | #Poetry | #Poems

BreakawayIndividual.com
Zy Marquiez
June 17, 2019

It’s been a while since I have written anything under the ‘Emotional Bank Account’ moniker, but today something rather significant took place.

Without going into details, I read the equivalent of someone’s thoughts in a way that really hit home. Although what was written was incredibly significant, what I want to focus on here is the actual act behind it, which is just as so.

When an individual puts their heart into writing a piece, as a reader, you can really feel it; this act resonates to a great degree. It doesn’t matter what it is, passion and emotion are incredibly easy to gravitate too, no matter what form of media, not unlike a moth gravitating to a flame.

As an individual, self expression in general is incredibly crucial for countless reasons, not the least of which is intellectual and emotional freedom. But on a deeper level, self expression of someone’s deepest and most closely guarded emotions can be quite cathartic, as I discussed with the person that penned this piece. There’s more than that though.

When an individual writes something, or expresses their emotions to be precise, no matter the medium used, especially where they in fact are putting themselves in an incredibly vulnerable position, it creates a deeper resonance still since such actions hit closets to home.

Haven’t you ever seen a piece of art, and been so incredibly overwhelmed with it, that it makes you ponder life at levels you hitherto considered? Haven’t you ever seen a romantic movie, and viewed a particular scene, such as the ending of the Notebook for instance, and just had your heart just absolutely let loose in a tornado of emotions that you couldn’t control given the power and gravity of the scene? Haven’t you ever read a love letter, whether it was addressed to you or not, and whether fictional or not, and still identified with it so much that you were overwhelmed with emotion in ways you never thought possible? Such is the power of an individual expression, and it’s one of the clearest windows someone’s soul.

The kinship that the act of self expression can foster in another person is one of the greatest instances individuals can experience, and such is the power than one individual can have with another, or with the entire world.

Don’t ever be afraid to express yourself with the world, whether emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, creatively, or any other way you see as important.

When it comes to really matters in life, there’s nothing more important than that which comes from the deepest parts of your heart and soul.

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Author’s Note:

My apologies for not posting regularly, I have just had a lot going on in many fronts. I have been writing non-stop, I just haven’t been feeling like posting things just yet, although I had started working on a lot of things and have a few ideas that are in in their final-draft versions; I just simply haven’t had the emotional drive to push through in all honesty at the current moment. Hope you guys are all doing great.

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If you find value in this information, please share it. This article is free and open source. All individuals have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Zy Marquiez and BreakawayIndividual.com
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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.

Book Review: The Elements Of Style [4th Edition] by William Strunk Jr. & E.B. White #SmartReads | #Writing | #Creativity

“If a writer wrote merely for his time, I would have to break my pen and throw it away.”
– Victor Hugo

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
– Lous L’Amour

BreakawayIndividual.com
Zy Marquiez
June 2, 2019

Once rated “one of the 100 most influential books written in English” by Time magazine in 2011, The Elements Of Style [4th Edition] by William Strunk Jr. & E.B. White is a systematic book which employs a no-nonsense approach on enduring principles of sound writing.

Cogent, concise and methodical, The Elements Of Style provides the firm foundation upon which writers can construct or improve their repertoire.

Featuring advice that is as simple as it is timeless, the book’s easy-to-follow approach allows for the incisive individual to become more robust with the principles of writing, while honing their own individual style as well.

Undoubtedly, some of these tenets might be familiar to anyone that has dabbled within writing before. Even so, many of these tenets are oft-overlooked (at least by me!) and having them around to reference is quite convenient.

For a book that is nigh a century old, it still ‘packs a punch’. Incidentally, that prior figure of speech, “packs a punch,” for instance, dances along the line of Style Rule #18: Use Figures Of Speech Sparingly.

The reason that last bit is because, perhaps that figure of speech shouldn’t have been used, or perhaps so. But having read this book, as a writer, I am now consciously thinking of how the use of diction and phrases affect everything. Ruminating a bit, perhaps, instead of writing that the book still “packs a punch,” I could have written “this book provides a treasure trove of insights for writers.”

Even though the first sentence gets the meaning across, the second one is smoother, and accomplishes the same thing in amenable fashion. That is merely one example of the possibilities that this book will allow the shrewd writer to undertake once he begins to firmly inculcate its lessons and employ them therein.

Great writing, like a sound structure, can only take place with a firm foundation. The scaffolding for that will undoubtedly require the insights of this book. If you know all of them by heart, you’re one step ahead. If not, then ponder getting this book. And considering that these days, many people communicate with others through the written word on the Internet, it would be prudent to learn these tenets since they will undoubtedly help those who need to employ them.

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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:

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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Conformity Crisis: The War Between Conformists & Non-Conformists | #Conformity | #Freedom| #Life | #Truth | #Friendship | #Friends

“The unexamined life is not worth living for a human being.”
– Socrates

BreakawayIndividual.com
Zy Marquiez
May 18, 2019

These days it seems that not a moment goes by without someone having some sort of disagreement.

Not that people should always agree about everything, that’s not the point. Disagreements come in all shapes and forms, just like people do. The point is that many of these disagreements you see, whether in person, or online, stem from a certain section of the populace’s ceaseless push to inculcate their beliefs on others, regardless of the consequences.

There seems to be two prevailing schools of thought out there regarding how to handle these situations. When aiding others in their search for truth, the initial school of thought, the non-conformists, don’t mind when other individuals ask them questions about beliefs and ideas discussed. The second group, the conformists, take downright offense to anyone questioning them on anything. The former seeks to help the individual arrive at their own truth; the latter seeks to be the high priest, just like those of ancient times who controlled the free flow of specific information.

This particular trend of individuals not wanting to have open discussions seems to be growing with time. Individuals who do wish to carry out further inquiry to seek firmer ground have nigh no options when speaking to closed-minded conformists because ultimately with a conformist, it’s their way or the highway. Ironically, what is happening to those who seek firmer ground is not unlike what happened to the “Father of Philosophy,” Socrates, over two millennia ago.

Socrates was feared because he wasn’t afraid of questioning an individual’s beliefs about any given subject, similar to individuals today who question the official narrative on countless issues. In parallel fashion to modern conformists, in Socrates’ time, the ultimate conformists of the time – as with much of history – was the state. This see saw bout of ideals that took place millennia ago still takes place now. That said, because of his very ideals, Socrates is the Godfather of Non-conformity. Socrates is the living definition of a question mark.

With the Socratic Method – of querying deeply into the subject – Socrates would begin to dissect an individual’s paradigm and those inherent flaws if any, usually in the realms of justice and goodness. Because of Socrates’ method, many times the paradigms individuals had – inculcated by the state and by religion – would drastically shift or disintegrate altogether, and begin something anew. This lead the state to lash out against him for questioning the system, particularly the “might makes right” the state was notorious known for, and eventually got him executed.

The state feared that the changes Socrates was bringing about in the populace would continue to spread and from their tyrannical point of view they could not allow that. Thankfully though, most of what he was able to accomplish still echoes to this day – even to this very post, thousands of years later.

In similar fashion, nowadays, people who push conformity are doing themselves and the other individuals a great disservice. This is because individuals pushing conformity are: (1) not being open minded, thus contemplating life from an incredibly narrow point of view, which (2) stunts the growth an individual may have by the exposure of a wide array of information. Further, (3) by attempting to force conformity on others, conformists are taking away a terrific learning opportunity from the individuals truly seeking answers to poignant questions, and (4) in the worst case, these conformists are even losing relationships through all social strata because they are not being open minded about the possibility that other options exist. All of this stands against the very nature of free-flowing inquiry.

Keen conversations of proactive mental discernment should have a certain flow, like a see saw, a back and forth between minds. However, what is taking place is far from such a common sense and proactive approach. The talks that are taking place currently between conformists and non-conformists echo a societal instability brought about by the conformist that will only exacerbate with time.

Intricately, this particular issue is touched upon in the thought-provoking book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, by Shunryu Suzuki, who cautions individuals on this very subject:

“Try not to force your idea on someone but rather think about it with him. If you feel you have won the discussion, that is also the wrong attitude. Try not to win in the argument; just listen to it; but it is also wrong to behave as if you had lost. Usually when we say something, we are apt to try to sell our teaching or force our idea.”[1][Bold & Underline Emphasis Added].

In other words, allow others the freedom to make choices, to find their own path – to make mistakes. That is one of the best ways individuals grow, by learning from their choices. However, forcing opinions and/or beliefs on others is diametrically opposed to all that is good and sensible.

Moreover, not only is overriding someone’s freedoms rather inhuman, or conformist to say the least, but it goes directly against the very idea of Freedom and its downright tyrannical. In contrast, if conformists would opt to listen to others, as happens in free-flowing conversations of open-minded individuals, those pushing their beliefs and agendas would come to an understanding as to why the other individual feels reticent to the particular issue. That simple step can help magnitudes in understanding where another person is coming from and why the other person feels as they feel. A conformist’s conversations never even get that far. Ironically, that would arguably be the place where the most progress could be made.

If inquiring individuals who wish to engage in mental discernment are not allowed their own personal moment of clarity of piercing through the veil, they will not own the moment – know the truth – but merely borrow another person’s footsteps as their own. Such an instance robs the individuals of making great progress in their strides for the truth, and thus leaves them at square one.

When someone is forced to intellectually conform they are not allowed the freedom to philosophize – to seek wisdom. Philosophy is crucial, for it literally means the love of wisdom. How is an individual ever going to gain insights, journey to wisdom, unless they are allowed or even urged to ask questions?

As modern philosopher Peter Kreeft Ph.D. warned in his Philosophy 101 By Socrates:

“If we do not philosophize, if we do not question appearances, if we are satisfied with whatever makes us feel happy, we will never know whether we are being deceived about who we are and what level of our being is being satisfied.”[2][Bold & Italics Emphasis Added].

An individual that is not allowed to hone their senses and polish their intuition will not have the opportunity to learn to see the forest for the trees. If said individual merely accepts the authoritarian conformist’s attitudes, they will suffer in many ways. These inquiring individuals will have a harder time – or nigh impossible time – figuring out deception, as we are seeing nowadays; these individuals won’t be able to figure out a well constructed argument based on facts and logic from outright speculation or downright lies; these genuinely curious individuals will also not be able to become as robust and intellectually self-sufficient as possible as they could be in this newfound age of disinformation. Such an individual will be just like a boat in the ocean with a damaged sail that is drifting aimlessly directly into an eternal storm confusion.

That is why it’s imperative as individuals to help others realize their full potential as they seek truth and growth within our world. As other individuals grow, they will share what made them change in positive fashion. And as we learn from them we can integrate these lessons and help others just as so. This type of concurrent growth is not unlike the rising tide lifting all ships.

Ruminating a bit deeper into this entire conundrum, maybe this issue is about more than truth though. Perhaps there’s more on the line than meets the eye. What seems to be missing to some extent, in some individuals at least, is simply the ability for them to be caring human beings, regardless of beliefs. A truly caring, wholesome individual will not simply railroad someone else because they believe something different or refuse to believe them.

It seems that following a personal philosophy of seeking personal growth through an attempted mastery of your mental and spiritual wellbeing seems like a prudent choice to say the least. And personal growth involves more than just attaining truth or strengthening beliefs.

Observing the words of Kreeft once more:

“Wisdom is more than knowledge. Knowing all facts in a library does not make you wise. Wisdom is a knowledge not just of facts but of values, of what is humanly important; and it is a knowledge that is a lived, that is learned by experience and lived out in experience.”[3][Bold & Italics Emphasis Added]

When conformists push their ideals and beliefs onto inquiring individuals, they take away the opportunity for those individuals to have meaningful experiences for growth and self-development, which includes more than simple truths or beliefs. Those instances may never take place again. Individuals that are not allowed to live to their fullest extent will only realize a fraction of the capability they would otherwise be able to achieve if they were allowed to venture upon their personal road less traveled – their individual journey.

Those who are allowed to gain personal insights on their road to self mastery will not only grow profoundly but will also develop a more robust Socratic Philosophy, just like the Greeks did in ancient times.

In ancient times:

“The Greeks became the world’s greatest philosophers partly because…they learned to question appearances to find something more, some hidden reality behind the appearances.”[4][Bold Emphasis Added]

Such is the reason why appearances, beliefs and supposed facts must always be questioned. For if they are not, what might be hidden will never rise to the surface and will not be able to be seen in pure darkness. Truth is the only light beam that disintegrates the shadows. And the only way to attain truth is for individuals to hone their inner fire, their inner light.

Touching upon this very concern, award winning teacher, advocate of self-directed learning and of individual freedom, John Taylor Gatto urged in his landmark book Dumbing Us Down:

“People have to be allowed to make their own mistakes or to try again, or they will never master themselves, although they may well seem to be competent when they have in fact only memorized or imitated someone else’s performance. Success in my practice involves challenging many comfortable assumptions about what is worth learning and out of what material a good life is fashioned.”[5][Bold, Underline & Italics Emphasis Added]

Questioning our conformable assumptions, our beliefs, about what is worth learning for each individual and bringing about the most growth is what this entire conundrum is about. That is why it is crucial that:

“One should not present others with ready-made answers, preach to them, or only make them memorize things. One needs to activate them. They should figure things out. The ambition can even be to liberate them.”[6][Bold, Underline & Italics Emphasis Added].

To help individuals achieve total freedom – physically, spiritually, psychologically, emotionally and mentally – they need to be encouraged to walk their own path, learn their own lessons – find their own wisdom.

If individuals aren’t allowed to grow, or choose not to, their mental faculties will atrophy, like someone who uses crutches constantly and has their muscles atrophy from disuse.

As friends, colleagues, or simply caring human beings, perhaps it is imperative not to worry only about our subjective ideas, beliefs, or even outright facts. Not saying those are not important, so please do not misunderstand me.

All I am getting at is that, perhaps, what the vanguard consideration should be is helping other individuals wherever they may need help along their road, so they can then better understand whatever it is that they seek knowledge in. What got them to their current point in life is vastly different to what got you to yours. In like fashion, what gets them to the truth will most likely be vastly different than what got you to it.

Allowing other individuals the opportunity for growth, by not making them conform, is one of the greatest gifts we can help flourish in another human being on their journey. Along this journey, other individuals may at times need help. Walk along side them, as long as they need, and help them when possible. But remember, their life is their journey.

While your paths may cross time and again, ultimately an individual’s journey will be a rather unique and authentic experience. Along this path, the side of the road will surely be rife with random rocks lacking meaning. But now and again, among the ruble, an individual’s curiosities will be sparked by sparkles of truth, and they will find gratifying gems. These are the very gems of wisdom that will push individuals further down their path to intellectual treasure, further towards their adventure for truth – towards individual growth and incredible self-development.

Ultimately, what another individual does is up to them, for its their life, their freedom, their choice. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t help them along that journey. Just help them in any way you can, especially if they implore you for help. That’s what friendship is all about. That’s what being a caring human being is all about.

And maybe, just maybe, one day these individuals will realize that it was you whose left some of those gems along their road, and that they’ve been given a gift, and that it’s been there all along, just waiting for the right moment.

And the right moment is now.

Give them that gift.
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Author’s Note:

This article was written a few years ago for New Agora Magazine. It has been slightly edited, but the core content remains unchanged.

I share this because if you simplify a lot of the issues taking place nowadays, they are about conformists vs. non-conformists. Now, whatever side you fall on, that is your business. What you rarely see from each side, but even less from the conformist side, is an attempt at seeking understanding.

How can progress be made without understanding? Perhaps that’s where a lot of the arguments and discussions should start, seeking understanding and/or common ground. After all, we are all humans, and just because we can’t see eye to eye on every issue doesn’t mean we don’t have the option to see what other people have gone through, empathize with their plight, comprehend their obstacles and circumstances better, but most of all, understand why they are who they are and why they believe what they believe.

That alone will solve more problems than forcing people to do anything, even if you are inherently right.
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Footnotes:

[1] Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, p. 108.
[2] Peter Kreeft Ph.D., Philosophy 101 by Socrates – An Introductory To Philosophy Via Plato’s Apology, p. 74.
[3] Ibid., p. 10.
[4] Ibid., p. 19.
[5] John Taylor Gatto, Dumbing Us Down – The Hidden Curriculum Of Compulsory Schooling, p. xxxv.
[6] Tommi Juhani Hanhijarvi Ph.D., Dialectical Thinking – Zeno, Socrates, Kant, Marx, p. 32.

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Blog Update: Published My First Book The Twin Flame, Future Projects & More | #Poetry | #Prose | #CreativeWriting | #NoctisBlackburn

TTF1
Breakaway Individual.com
Zy Marquiez
May 15, 2019

I got a pleasant surprise today.

Today I (finally!) received a hardcopy of my first book ever, The Twin Flame, published under a different pen name, Noctis Blackburn. This poetry book features 111 poems. I couldn’t hesitate and showed my Mom first and she loved it. I really love the glossy cover and how the book turned out.

TTF2

I decided to publish under a different pen name than Zy Marquiez because although I do plan on publishing poetry under this name (more on that in a second), I plan on keeping different themes under different pen names, not unlike what Nora Roberts does when she publishes under J.D. Robb. Many other authors do this as well.

Moreover, under Zy Marquiez I plan on (hopefully) publishing non-fiction research books about a few different topics in the future, all of which will be thoroughly researched and footnoted to the hilt, but will have non-mainstream topics not unlike what is covered in this blog. These topics will certainly make people incredibly judgmental. This is the vanguard reason why I will employ different pen names.

That said, if people find out, it matters not too much since it is me either way. I am merely doing this to simplify given how many people can judge you by merely knowing one component in life without knowing you at all, especially nowadays with the internet being what it is. This is the very example of judging a book by its cover, or judging a person by one circumstance.

Now, the above book is a collection of poetry as the subtitle alludes. I’m incredibly thrilled because I’ve been hoping to publish a book for years now, but due to health issues and myriad circumstances, I never got around to it. At least now that first step is officially done. Now for more.

Within a week or so I am going to be doing a giveaway for paperbacks of this book for those interested. I first needed to double check the hardcopy and make sure that everything was fine and ready to go. That said, if you are interested in the book, Lulu does have a discount of 15% at this very moment, though it is only good for one more day or so. And for heaven’s sake, don’t order the Hardcover because of the price! That’s just Lulu fleecing people. The link provided is of the softcover because it’s 60% less than the hardcover. I only decided to publish a hardcover for me personally, as I love hardcovers, and because it wasn’t going to add too much to the publishing process once I got the hang of it. Now for future projects.

Within a week or so I am going to publish another poetry book called A Kaleidoscope Of Possibilities published under Zy Marquiez. This book will be poetry mostly published in the past on various websites and social media platforms, sprinkled with a heavy dose of notations throughout. The book is essentially complete and just needs some touch ups and the final stamp. This book will not follow a single topic but will be a collation of poetry that’s as old as 20 years old, and as new as poems written the last 12 months and so on. This poetry book is a book about considering deeper aspects of life, obstacles, fear, love, and all topics written about therein of which there are many. This book does not follow any single theme whatsoever. This is why I chose to go with ‘Kaleidoscope’ as the first word, while using ‘Possibilities’ as the anchor because possibilities are what life is all about.

Another book which is nigh a complete, which I will publish under either Tristen Troy or Zy Marquiez (with an alias of Halcyon Halo) is Halcyon Days. A time table of two weeks should not be out of the realm of possibility. It really depends on what other things fall on my lap. This book will follow a positive theme throughout, be it romance, life, time, etc. I’m undecided if the book will be 100% unpublished content, or if a fraction of it will have already been featured in the concurrent Instagram account. I can’t wait to get this one out as I’ve had most of it complete for almost 3 weeks, I just needed to iron out The Twin Flame and finish the touch ups of Kaleidoscope of Possibilities. This book will feature 111 poems total.

Now, something else that I’ve recently begun, but is probably at least a month off which will be published under the moniker Noctis Blackburn is A Heart Of Darkness. This book will feature an in-depth view of many of my fears, be them love, life, darkness, general fears, the pain of dealing with my grandmother’s passing recently, fears of losing my mom, and many other themes. Some of the poems could be positive, just really depends on what one gets from it. Notations might be added to this one, like Kaleidoscope of Possibilities, but I am still undecided. This book will also feature 111 poems as well.

The final book that’s slated to be published for now under Zy Marquiez/ The Lightning Baron is a book tentatively called Lightning & Thunder Bring Frightening Wonder. This book will feature lightning, storms, and many other darker themes, mostly as metaphors for fear, pain, suffering and more. I was going to publish this book sooner but I am undecided whether I want to do 111 poems, or many more. The vanguard reason for this is because many of these poems have already been shared on this blog, but they are short. This is why I changed from 77 to 111, but I might increase that a lot more, though I am still uncertain to how many. I would really love to feature photos with this book, but I’m not sure how much that will add to the price. I will probably keep it simple for now.

There are other projects that I have in mind, but that’s the lions share for now. I just wanted to give you guys an update as to why I haven’t been as active on this blog with reviews, posts, quotes, and the like. That said, stay tuned because there will be a lot more coming!

Hope you guys have an amazing day. And more than anything, don’t forget to take at least one step every day towards making your dreams continue.

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Taking That First Step To A New Journey | #Life | #Dreams

BreakawayIndividual.com
Zy Marquiez
April 5, 2019

Taking the first step in any journey is the most significant one. It not only begins a new proverbial path, but being that it is a new beginning, it opens up myriad possibilities.

Venturing in a new direction isn’t always easy though. Comfort, habit, and fear tend to prevent individuals from taking advantage of many opportunities.

Most would agree that, the first step in any direction is the most meaningful one. Literally, it means a brand new path that offers much growth potential, it means a new adventure that allows for a latitude of possibilities to take hold – new horizons to be had.

The curious conundrum is that, taking the first step in anything is the hardest one. But it only gets easier after that. Most people realize this, and yet, it seems this is not taken into account. Or perhaps it is. It could be something on a case by case basis.

Either way, beginning a new journey isn’t as complicated as it seem to be at first blush. Be it a new job, a new commitment, a new relationship, a new venture, the first step is where one’s life begins to change – where growth and wisdom are to be had.

One can adjust, or readjust as needed. One can follow through with the plan, or come up with a better one. If the steps are leading in the wrong direction, one can scrap that idea altogether. But what all paths have in common is that they all allow for greater growth either way. Given that, it would seem that keen individuals would have nothing to lose from such ventures.

A glass-half-full approach not only seems sensible, but the only option if one is to move anywhere forward in life. For one to step into the right direction, the very first step must be taken. For one to accomplish goals, the first step is crucial. For one to dare to dream, the first step is a must.

Not taking the first step is tantamount to giving up on specific paths – not even trying. It is living life less than half full. It is living life through a tunnel rather than a boundless landscape. It is living a facsimile of life and not life in its full breathtaking and boundless potential.

If taking that first step can lead to success, what does not taking that first step entail? Is it tantamount to failure?

If taking that first step is opening a new door, then what is not opening that door entail? Remaining in a room, all closed off?

If taking that first step writing a new chapter in a story, what is not writing that first sentence entail?

If taking that first step is living a new – better – life, what does not taking that first step mean?

And if taking that first step means beginning a whole new dream, what does not taking that first step signify?

Ponder, and ponder deeply, for life’s full of untaken steps – untaken roads. And the only way to see where they lead is venture upon it.

Where will your next first step take you?
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Author’s Note:

I’ve had sitting on my desktop for a very long time, though I had it under a completely separate title and thus, never found it until last night.

Whether new business venture, blogging, writing, anything else, I’ve always had fear of taking those first steps myself, but its never as bad as it seems, or at least with the paths that I chose to follow that is. Not that every first step is easy, but a lot of times trying doesn’t hurt things and it might just change your life.

Had I not tried Poker, and starting Businesses, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. I do enjoy blogging because it’s allowed me to grow as a person even more. Blogging has also helped me as a writer and researcher in ways I didn’t think it would. I’m always trying to push myself beyond comfort, or at least considering taking steps.

No matter what steps we take as individuals, big or small, there’s always paths to be explored, and paths that will be left unexplored. That said, that’s one of the beauties in life, the fact that there are more paths than we can try in a whole lifetime show the vast range that life encompasses and I think that’s downright amazing, especially given the time that we live in.

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Suggested Reading:

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