Twice Born A Vagabond
A Novel [Copr. 2008]
By D. DeWitt Thomas
Chapter Seventeen


GLASS BUBBLE

"Sure man, go on." he said quickly responding as if he wanted me to hurry up and get on with it because his attention was now being directed toward Clementine who had wriggled in between us. "The water balloon analogy is symbolic of the id or the "you". It is centered within a surrounding transparant space like a glass bubble which symbolized the cosmos. The balloon "you" in the center of the glass bubble cosmos is being constantly squeezed into different positions by external stimuli, you see, and its warping into obtuse shapes causes the balloon "you" to react with human emotion." I explain. "Love, hate, pleasure, and fear all are the result of the cosmic stimulus that is beyond our control," I continue, "but the balloon "you" will always seek to regain its equilibrium. The natural state of peace will return when the squeezing ceases. Peace of mind comes with the nothingness therefor there is no need to fear the metamorphisis," I conclude. "Why should one seek nothingness?" Tommy asks, now seeming more interested. "Because nothingness was the first condition to exist in the universe and nothingness will exist when the universe ends," I answer. "One feels more at peace with nothingness than with somethingness?" he asks. "Yes, all human emotion is a transient experience which takes from nothing, goes through something, and returns to nothing. Harmony comes with no fear from the flow with the rhythm of change. Go with the flow to find real peace of mind." I respond. "What causes fear?" he asks. "Fear comes from anxiously anticipating and resisting the flow. Fear of the unknown results from being disoriented in time and space. Be centered. Do not posture by attempting to brace yourself for the warping which will inevitabley happen when you are least expecting it." I continue. "It gets eaisier with practise. You will loose your fear of the warping process because it becomes a familiar experience and you know that you will always return to your natural state when the external stimulus subsides. You may even begin to enjoy the warping process instead of fearing it. It is a journey, an unending story." I summarized. "OK," says Tommy, "an Alpha but no Omega." "Yeah," I respond, "the journey is what is real, not what you perceive along the way. The destination is not what is important. Happiness is a state of mind."

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