Putting aside a belief in supreme being(s), if possible, do you hold dear a feeling of sacredness about something?

A building?

A cave, a mountain, the sky, the ground, the rain, the sea?

A person?

An object?

What, or whom, above all else do you meditate upon?

I am here, alone, a solitary figure seated before an illuminated panel, the icons are the ikons and vice versa, thinking the same thoughts as many before me who have translated thought into pictographical facsimile.

Many of my activities throughout the day are devout, religious homages to the sense of wonder of the presence of a self seeking absence in a mysterious substance we call the universe.

Much is explainable but a lot is not.

The formality of language, costumes (our external coverings we designate for specific functions), and body movement account for the way the self defines fluid movement through the universal substance(s).

I create an everchanging universe for my sake, the fight-or-flight, survival-of-the-fittest, order-and-chaos, self-preserving labeled interchanges of sets of states of energy I call moments and memorable events that constitute segments of time.

Otherwise, the past and the present do not exist.

Formality is a formality.

We choose belief systems handed to us by our ancestors and/or our peers or we don’t — judging one better than the other is a matter of judgement in relation to one’s comfortable subcultural practices, one’s habits, that is.

Adaptable.

Malleable.

Accepting one’s family and friends for who they are and/or want to be.

Comfort zones are acceptable.

When a comfort zone has easily-recognisable borders, life is simpler.

Complex borders make for complex actions/reactions.

I was raised to believe the sanctuary of a church was a quiet place of meditation punctuated by both peaceful music and contemplative sermons / ceremonies, where one dressed accordingly (formally).

The sanctuaries of today are not my sanctuaries, with display of song lyrics, sans musical notes, on projector screens; loud music; light shows; applause; casual clothing and other means for more tight social integration of church life with pop culture.

Thus, I have turned to this place, this keyboard and notebook computer screen, for sanctuary, redemptive meditation and uplifting comfort.

The social aspects of a church have little meaning for a childless husband who is surrounded by screaming kids, happy parents and proud grandparents parading up and down the halls of their place of worship.

That is also why I sit here, alone in my thoughts, just a few clicks away from the physical manifestations of others with similar thoughts.

Socially, I am a simple man with simple needs who has enough internal triggers for delusions of grandeur when the need arises to not need or want to reach out to society at large for self reaffirmation on a stage, playing field or conference room.

When I mentally “woke up” at age five, it was with the realisation that I could die at any time, having fulfilled the meaning of my life just by the basic act of reaching a state of mental alertness.

Every moment of being awake is a blessing.

Every dream is a blessing.

Every breath.

Every pain and ache.

Even the constant whistle/whine of tinnitus.

Does it matter if I publicly profess allegiance to a religion, a country, a cause or nothing at all?

It might matter to you but simply having been alive is sufficient to me.

To have no idea, at this time, what life is, except an apparent miraculous mystery waiting to be revealed…isn’t that exciting?!

Sets of states of energy, from a mound of colourless clay to the cheetah racing toward its prey…

Wow!

We pick and choose how we want the intersection of our sets of states of energy to occur.

Your choice is the right choice for you, and if it makes you happy in this life where survival and reproduction of our sets of states of energy are primary (i.e., happiness is a byproduct), then I’m happy for you in whatever mode and method you hold your belief set(s) dear.

Now, on to the future, where we push certain subgroups to accomplish tasks for us that they would never do consciously or willingly without our subliminal nudges.

As it has been and always will be.

Business.  Science.  Competition.

With a dash of sarcasm and humour to keep us honest.