I’ve seen this graphic image with the word COEXIST (written in metaphysical symbols) for decades, but it never really sank in with me the way it did as I worked on a long thread I posted to Twitter. It’s tangential to my consciousness studies of the past 50 years, the past 28 of which have been focused on the concept of not taking life so seriously as an objective experience. Instead, I see life as a subjective adventure, one that shares attributes with games, sports, cinema, and art. It is NOT about making “the world a better place” because that is impossible. “Better” is one of the most subjective words we have. So it’s time to reject that sort of language and the sweeping pronouncements that often accompany it, in favor of specific discussion on specific topics. Ditto, most New Age platitudes: I’ve had more than enough of them.
My goal is individual. Unique. Accurate. Personal. Liberated. Safe.
So Here’s the Twitter Thread
I’ve embedded the first tweet in case you use Twitter and want to read or comment o the thread there. I’ve also scheduled a Zoom call for anyone who’d like to discuss it with me, likely to be turned into a podcast episode. Monday, December 7th, 12 noon MT (2 pm ET, 11 am PT)
Please join my email list to receive an invitation. (This is troll prevention. You can always unsubscribe.) Feel free to also comment on Twitter.
THREAD: What if it’s all a game?
What if all people are entrenched in a *game* that their souls committed to? That our tactics to “win the other side over” are futile? 1
— Roxanne Darling 🌿 Lover of Nature & Consciousness (@roxannedarling) November 29, 2020
THREAD: What if it’s all a game?
What if all people are entrenched in a *game* that their souls committed to? That our tactics to “win the other side over” are futile? 1
What if life is not a moral arc to justice, a shared sense of values wrapping us all together on a planet called earth but instead, a hologram for fiction? Life doesn’t mimic art, it is art. It’s all pretend. Roles chosen, not imposed? 2
Consider, you cannot jump into a film and make the bad guys good guys as it destroys the story. Sure, a few change sides, but that’s written into the drama and creates a pretend ‘moral of the story.’ 3
What if the ‘moral of the story’ is just part of the story, not a core element itself? Yes, I’m saying, what if there’s no benevolent God who tolerates misdeeds without stopping them, but instead, there’s a collective consciousness? (CC) 4
There’s no effective distinction btwn books & movies & what we call “real life.” They’re identical: Games, stories, roles to be filled, emotions to be had, much pre-determined before now tho outcomes unknown. Pretend, over & over. 5
As we get bored of the stories, we write new ones. We’ve had the same kind of stories for a long time & the CC wants to change it up! Some cling to the end times, others to utopian green dreams. All are valid & simultaneous. 6
Some of us like hyper-real horror films while others prefer rainbows of animated fantasy. JUST LIKE IN SO-CALLED REAL LIFE. 7
Souls incarnate here to experience the limits and boundaries, space and time of being human (or plant or animal, too), the same as actors play roles. There are in fact many arcs, morality is one. If religion proscribes morality… 8
… then how do we reconcile the differences in morality among religions? We can’t. To me, religion is yet another element in the cinematic drama that is life. It only works when a critical mass of humans decide to support it. 9
‘Real Life” is imbued with the same elements of cinema: joy, conflict, redemption, etc. We sign up for the roller coaster of emotional experiences, in art AS IN LIFE ITSELF. 10
So what I’m saying is:
There is no absolute right or wrong tho each group claims their own.
Souls here are committed to their roles; it’s useless to think it’s changeable unless the soul wants to make that change. 11
These roles can have sub-roles: start off as A and then shift to B.
The only morality that exists is the one that’s agreed to by the many and that changes over time. 12
Pretending things are objective when they are in fact subjective is the source of so much undoing. ‘Science’ doesn’t prove much of anything to 100%. Science itself is not a singular thing but a collection of people w ideas to be tested. 13
Anyone who has studied science knows that ‘beliefs’ aka hypotheses change over time as more info is acquired. It’s never done. [I have a B.S from UC Berkeley; I’ve seen the sausage get made.] 14
Back to the begin: I used to think being nice to people could help them see my POV. When they didn’t, I thought I failed. I was wrong. Why should they change when they enjoy their beliefs & actions? Who said I was right? 15
I think these beliefs exist on a soul level, coded into the experiences that person’s soul wants to have in this lifetime. ‘I was a dog last time; I want to see what it’s like to be a cat.’ None of us can turn a cat into a dog. 16
All this started with my studies of consciousness. It opened up when I faced my extreme codependency. And it has been supported by the study of antiracism and hillbilly elegies. 17
What is the alternative for trying to change people? If their ideas are written into the story and the story can’t survive without them? How do we claim our subjectivity MORE and allow for separations and differences? 18
This is the meaning of COEXIST. It demands a different mindset altogether and calls for the total elimination of contests, winners, and losers, and trying to get “them” to see our POV, think & act like we do. 19
It calls for a type of cultural census, that allows us to live freely with differences, able to find those who share our ideals and avoid those who don’t. And, new methods for sharing space and time, knowing some LOVE conflict. 20
Some love peace. Some love to fight. All are spirits having human experiences. You cannot be all in for spirit & then reject those who differ from you. BUT. That doesn’t mean you have to love or like them! Love is NOT the answer. 21 [See this old Beach Walks with Rox episode from 2006.]
With so many humans, laws can support us as they’re an expression of this collective consciousness. Laws are different in diff places, reflecting variations in human preferences. YES, they are often poorly written & unfairly applied. 22
But that’s in part because we were pretending to operate from pretend-objective points of view, typically informed from religious precepts despite the separation of church and state. 23
Laws are an expression of the collective consciousness. Not enforcing them weakens any power we have as individuals to act collectively within this life, the experiment with limits and boundaries, space and time. 24
Same as writing laws that only serve some of the people some of the time.
But it does add to the drama, aka the “fun” — from a soul’s POV 25
The whole mess is due for disentanglement, a new iteration of literal consciousness-raising, to understand more thoroughly how the universe works not just from physics but also from metaphysics. 26
This is the super long game though some things are indeed happening in what feels like warp speed. Try living TODAY without applying right/wrong and instead use agree or disagree. 27
Instead of “that’s right” or “that’s wrong” use “I agree” or “I disagree.”
CLAIM YOUR SUBJECTIVE PREFERENCES and RESPECT THOSE OF OTHERS.
28
If we don’t face the massive discrepancies embedded in pretend objectivity, we’ll just be confined to powerless (and for me, irritating AF) circular arguments. 29
For example, instead of trying to smush 70% of us into one party and 30% into another party, it’s time (and we have the tech to support this) a granular approach to governing on issue by issue. 30
”Unite” is not possible and shows a lack of understanding of humanity. It’s an attempt to bring people to one side, against their stated wishes. and we now are starting to see through that.
INSTEAD OF UNITE, COEXIST. 31
Education is as easily manipulated by personal values as all else. In itself, not a panacea. I prefer to go way out, in the metaphysical universe, to understand human behavior.
Generalizations fail before the sentence is completed. 32
So my suggestion for Now:
– Drop all pretense of objectivity.
– Claim your subjective preferences.
– Respect all humans as equal on the soul level.
– Have laws, but don’t depend on them for everything. 33
– Be creative & find new tactics (from the movies?) that help you get more of what you want.
– Yes, there are consequences built-in to living with limits & boundaries. They can inform your choices. 34
Seeing others as separate is incredibly useful. Truly understanding others is nearly impossible, as most of us don’t understand ourselves enough to share that. Value separateness > togetherness as a way to COEXIST. 35
In the end — death — NONE OF THIS MATTERS. We are all playing games and games are designed to be fun, especially when there is pain, struggle, loss. The contrast is what’s so compelling. 36
In closing, a plug for the Netflix series, The Champions. Brilliant examples of the wild creativity & gamesmanship humans create. So fun to watch, even if you don’t desire to join those contests. 37
It’s part of how we coexist even while being revulsed or terrified. Or enthralled and motivated. 38
Takeaway: There is no absolute right or wrong in any situation, only agreements made to pretend there. Those agreements are not 100% enforceable, so they become discrepancies that cause distracting problems. 39
It doesn’t matter what you do (none of this matters), but if you want to feel more free & less fearful, try claiming your subjectivity & let others claim theirs. It works for me, a fear-based human. 40
Then work as hard as you want (or not) to bring others to your POV, accepting they have no need or moral imperative to join you. You’re free to use any tactics you want, just like in the movies or sports. LIFE IS ALL A GAME. Literally. 41
Thank you for reading. 🙏🏻
I look forward to your added insights and if there’s interest, I’ll host a Zoom where we can banter in-depth about ‘none of this matters’ and ‘life is a game’ and ‘there’s no absolute right or wrong.’ END
Adding one more photo of a cat and dog showing us how to coexist. A picture, you know, is often more powerful than a bunch of words. May these two photos burnish the idea of COEXIST in your mind.
Thank you for being You.
Love,
Top Photo by Tran Mau Tri Tam on Unsplash
End Photo by Glomad Marketing on Unsplash
