Selected Writings
on People from

Richard’s Journal

Peter’s Journal

Folks and People

The Need to Belong

_______________

Audio-taped Dialogue

Richard | 2 |

Peter | 2 |

Vineeto | 2 |

Others | 2 |

People

By living in the actual world I now associate with people in an entirely new way. Gone is the need for ‘friends’ to share my sorrow with. Gone is the need to be part of a ‘group’ as a protection from imaginary fears, or for the sharing of common beliefs. Gone is the need for someone to look after me, someone to care and support me. I have no need for love as a temporary bridge to overcome the feelings of loneliness and separation. I have actually always been on my own and looked after myself very well in my life, and people have simply come and gone, for varying periods of time and involvement. It’s only that now I don’t have any pretences or bargains, where I do something for someone only in return for their helping me. Now if someone does something for me it is an unexpected bonus and if I do something for someone else it is a pleasure, freely given.

I am, for the first time, living my own life, not someone else’s. The bargains, bonds, deals, clinging and neediness have simply disappeared. I now regard allowing freedom, as far superior to giving love, with its accompanying needs, demands and expectations. To allow anyone I meet to be free of me, as I am free of them. A free association. I am now able to enjoy and delight in the company of my fellow human beings for as long as is appropriate. It may be rather constantly with Vineeto, or briefly with the check-out girl at the local supermarket. However, I am under no illusion, and know that the essential nature of people is malicious and sorrowful; in fact, now it is even more obvious to me, so well do I know the Human Condition. I am now free to take people as I find them, without investment or expectation, suspicion or competition, attack or defence. Consequently my interactions are invariably delightful and interesting – but then again so am I, so why not? I harbour no hidden suspicions or doubts, fears, secrets or ulterior motives – those feelings we usually label as ‘intuition’. What you see is sincerely what you get. It is such a relief not to run an identity or a ‘self’, and to have to battle it out or herd together with others in order to ‘survive’.

What I have found is that this is the only game to play in town, and it’s called actually becoming happy and harmless, not just pretending or avoiding. I become free instantly, incrementally, as each belief is replaced with the facts. If something pops up that is preventing my happiness right now then I have something else to look at. And I simply work my way through the list… Then the day comes when being happy and harmless is my very nature, rather than being malicious and sorrowful, as is Human Nature. Then it is effortless – once the work is done.

It is indeed a wide and wondrous path to freedom…