All I See is Part of Me

So...when I was little I remember one of my earliest philosophical ponderings being, 

"what if everything outside myself is illusion?"

"What is reality, really?"

"What would my reality look like if I were blind or deaf?"

I wrote some pretty ridiculous things in my little journal about how there's no such thing as a blue sky to a dog and what if there are others who see colors we can't see.

To think that you are the only real and conscious thing and that everything outside yourself is just an illusion, can be a very empowering thought at first. 

But it's also lonely and self-absorbed and it doesn't explain the whole story. It doesn't even come close. 

It wasn't until I began to realize that every person and thing outside myself was also part of myself that it all began to click. 

We're in a constant state of reflection with the world around us. 

The environment and all the people we encounter are our mirror. 

Look around your house, your room. Look at your father, your mother, your children....they're reflections of who you are. 

Look at the friends you keep and the enemies you make...these are reflections of you as well. 

It is in this way that we are in a constant state of creating and destroying our realities. 

We are responsible for every aspect of our lives. If we don't like where we are in life...we have to change ourselves or the way we see and interact with the things around us. 

This concept can be applied to virtually anything and it has the affect of illuminating the situation. It is the key. It gives all things a deeper meaning and level of understand. 

And all it really is...  Is accepting another level of responsibility. 

Even with this level of understanding there are still internal conflicts. It's not easy to know the right decisions that will result in the best outcome for all, but the fact that we're taking all things into consideration, before taking action will lead to better decisions and better outcomes.  

...and this is probably one of the best children's books ever. 

Many thanks to the #LittleFreeLibrary down the block from my house. 

Littlefreelibrary.org