Oracle of Consciousness

#30 - OMG, I Don't Fit In!

A man standing triumphant on a beach in New Romney while looking out into the water

Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash

Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash

For as long as I can remember, I have had a yearning to see a different world, not a world built on greed, demanding more, more, more, but a better world.

Better and more conscious forms of education, parenting, economic structures based on equality, politics that work for everyone, eco-preservation and protection, businesses that care, share and devoid of 'Planned Obsolescence', along with a myriad of other life-enhancing principles.

I am a Baby-Boomer, raised on a farm in the spectacular Lake District in the UK and never felt like I fitted into the 'Social Norms' of society.

An outcaste.

A misfit.

But not a victim.

man standing on road

Photo by Anthony Tori on Unsplash

Photo by Anthony Tori on Unsplash

Here I was, a“Pommy” (English) migrant, whose first day in school in our newly adopted country, Australia, was set upon by the school bullies, who took umbrage at my Englishness, beat me up and threw me in the stinking urinal.
(Far worse than the one in the photo).

You know those old, men’s toilets where you pee against a wall and it drains off into some unknown place, leaving an undeniable stench behind, that type of urinal.

It was also over 30 Centigrade - 86 Fahrenheit.

Bear in mind I had just left England with low temperatures of 1 Centigrade - 33 Fahrenheit!

Welcome to Australia!

I dragged my sorry (explicative) home, nursing my bruises and broken heart and pleaded with my Mum, not to have to go to school ever again and maybe we should return to England.

Dear Mum, she showed her enormous compassion and gently guided my senses back to reality.

My youthful and naive conclusion:

“I don’t fit into this 'Social Norm' either!”

I was bordering on teenage hood and as is many times the case, I turned all this into:

“I don’t fit in!”

"There must be something
wrong with me! "

boy covering his face while standing

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

It was a gradual process, over many years that I turned all these negative experiences, self-abusive ideas and limiting beliefs, into a celebration of my differences, of uncovering my true self and not the ego-mind’s phoney, oft repeated stories.

I concluded that:

"I am different, not better or lesser than anyone, but
different and equal."

This formed the foundation of my current work as a life, spiritual coach, writer, husband, parent, spiritual activist, and everything else I do in my life.

brown wooden blocks on white surface

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

brown wooden blocks on white surface

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

brown wooden blocks on white surface

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

My desire (and yes, I know what the Buddha says about that) is to leave a legacy for my own children and all future generations to enjoy.

Emulating the Hopi Indian philosophy of factoring in what effects our daily decisions and actions will have on seven generations ahead, I wrote a book entitled 'Cause No harm – A Handbook for Humanity', which spells out how we can create a future without causing harm.

“For this to happen, we need large doses of imagination!”

Children come downloaded with this software and unless stifled by their home or school environment, can carry this gift forward into the their teenage and adult lives, as did the likes of all great geniuses, musicians, artists, poets, adventurers, etc.

Our job as parents, influencers and educators is to encourage imagination in our offsprings and students, with a balance of left and right hemisphere learning.

For how else will young people ever be able to imagine a better life for themselves, a more valuable world in which to explore, live in peace and grow?

I don’t know about you, but this is what I imagine is possible and everything I do in my life supports this dream-into-reality process.

Will you join me on my quest?

With hope.

Towards a better world

orange and blue sky with clouds

Photo by zenad nabil on Unsplash

Photo by zenad nabil on Unsplash