Sorry it has taken me so long to respond to you. I've been really busy recently.

I want to thank you for sharing some of your experiences with me. I enjoyed reading your response and I learned a lot from it. I especially like the part where you said, "I'm not as depressed as before, I've realized I am unique and I can find happiness again in my own way, as defined by me." There is a lot of wisdom in this statement, and you should feel lucky that you have realized this. Most people will never realize this and they will go through their whole life feeling miserable because they constantly compare themselves to others and seek happiness as defined by others instead of finding out what it means to them.

And I can definitely relate to having people in your life that hold you back. And I know you are intelligent enough to realize that sometimes, the only solution is to simply cut these people out of your life. I know that this is difficult, especially if you are a real friend and truly care about these people. It's also very difficult when these people are family, like it has been for me. Not only is it difficult, but it's also scary to change the situation your in once you have become so accustomed to it. But to me, it's scarier to think about what will happen if you don't cut these people out of your life. This is the thought that made me take action and do something about the people holding me back.

The last thing I wanted to share with you are some thoughts that I have been having after I read your response. Specifically, the part where you said, "Now I have read it, the hard part is really believing in it." You are not the first person to tell me this. And ever since then, I have been thinking how I can make it easier for someone to believe in the ideas that I'm sharing with them. How can I help someone believe in these ideas not only in their head, but also in their heart.

Let me start by clarifying the message I was trying to convey in my main post. My message was that we are not separate from each other or from the world around us. We only feel that we are separate because of language and social conditioning. But what I am beginning to realize is that there is deeper cause that creates this feeling of separation. And I believe this cause is what keeps people from realizing that they are one with the universe and everything in it. The cause is the way we view ourselves. Our conception or image of who we are. And it is this false idea of who we are that prevents us from knowing who we really are. But before I begin to talk about this false idea, I want to share a few interesting facts with you.

I realize that some of the ideas I am sharing with you seem a bit "out there", and they might come off as purely abstract. But I assure you, everything I am sharing with you is not only based on my experience and understanding, but it also based on scientific facts. The truth in what I am sharing with you can be seen all around you, but it all depends on how you look at it.

For example, I said that we are not separate from each other or from the world around us. Somebody might read this and say that this is only my opinion and not a scientific fact. But what that person doesn't realize is that what I'm saying is the same thing as what a scientist would say, only phrased in a different way. The way I describe the world is more or the same way an Ecologist would describe the world. The purpose of Ecology is to provide knowledge about the way the world works and provide evidence on the interdependence between the natural world and people. So I ask you, is the knowledge I am sharing really different from the knowledge of an Ecologist?

My view of the world is also very similar to the view of a Physicist. There are many laws used in the study of Physics. One of the laws that apply to what I'm discussing is the "Law of Conservation of Energy". This law states that, "The total amount of energy in a system remains constant (is conserved), although energy within the system can be changed from one form to another or transferred from one object to another. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be transformed." This is the basis of the statement I made in my main post about the formation of the universe and how we are the Big Bang. All I'm saying with this statement is that we are not a separate entity in this system/universe, we are the same basic energy that began with the Big Bang, only in a different form. In the words of the philosopher Alan Watts, "You and I are all as continuous with the physical universe as a wave is continuous with the ocean. You are a function of this total galaxy, bounded by the Milky Way. And this galaxy is a function of all other galaxies. You are that vast thing that you see far, far off with great telescopes. You are the eternal thing that comes and goes, that appears now as John Jones, now as Mary Smith, now as Betty Brown - and so it goes, forever and ever and ever."

Another fact I would like to share with you comes from the fields of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The scientists working in these fields have learned that all the elements essential to life were formed in stars. During the final stages of the lifespan of a star, it begins forming the heavy elements needed in order for living things to exist (Hydrogen, Oxygen, Carbon, Nitrogen, etc.). When the star finally reaches the end of its lifespan, it explodes in what is called a Supernova. This explosion spreads the materials of the star across unimaginable distances. And this material is what forms solar systems like the one that we live in. And when planets begin to form in these solar systems, they are infused all the elements needed for life to exist. All the atoms in your body, and in the bodies of all living things, came from stars. This is amazing if you really think about it. It is very possible that there are millions, maybe even billions, of people whose atoms come from the same star that produced your atoms! It also possible that the atoms in your right hand came from one star, and the atoms in your left hand came from a star on the other side of the universe! These thoughts never cease to amaze me. Every time I'm outside looking at the stars, I'm filled with a sense of wonder. I realize that not only am I in the universe, but the universe is also in me. "Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence."

I want to make it clear that everything I have shared with you up to this point has been based on scientific facts. But this next idea is based on what I have learned through my own personal experience, and not on science.

All these scientific facts might help some people believe in what I'm saying. But they will most likely only believe it in their head, not their heart. In other words, they might understand it intellectually, but they won't feel it in their core. This brings me back to the false conception of who we are. Most people believe that what they are is a source of awareness/consciousness, an ego, that resides somewhere in their head. We feel as if our real self is somewhere behind our eyes and between our ears, and that the rest of our body is a separate part. This is evident when you listen to someone describe themselves physically. Instead of saying I am a body, they will say, "I have a body; I have eyes; I have legs, etc." They describe themselves as if they are separate being which is in possession of a body, eyes, legs, etc. They think of themselves as being or ego that is trapped inside of a body. In other words, they do not identify themselves with their body, but rather as something separate from it. And if we feel separate from our bodies it is impossible not to feel separate from the world around us, because it is through our body that we interact with the world around us. "Your skin doesn't separate you from the world, it's a bridge through which the external world flows into you, and you flow into it." Your ego is nothing more than an illusion/image of yourself created in your mind. And this image doesn't even come close to describing who you really are. The real you is so complex and profound, that it is difficult to put it into words. Just look at the way you digest your food, beat your heart, grow each hair, fire each neuron. You do all these things without having to thinking about it, and without even knowing how you do it! There is a deep intelligence in our body that we are not aware of because we are always stuck in our head. We don't realize our unconscious intelligence because we only focus on our conscious intelligence. This is a big mistake. You must realize that your body and mind are one. And if you realize this, you will also realize that you are one with the world around you. Your body and mind are completely dependent on the world around you, and without it you can't exist. This realization is called Nirvana or enlightenment in Buddhism, Moksha in Hinduism, and Satori in Zen Buddhism. All these words really mean is that you are no longer under the illusion that you are a separate being or ego; and realizing that what you really are, your essence, is the eternal and dynamic energy that is present in all living things and throughout the universe.



I know that the information I have shared with you is not going to be the solution to all of your problems. It certainly has not been for me. But what I have found out is that when you truly realize that you are one with the universe, the way you view everything changes. The way you view your life, the lives of others, and everything around you is completely different. You begin to see things clearly. And you realize that the negative emotions feeling and the problems you are facing are not as bad as you think they are. And that they are necessary in order for you to truly appreciate the moments of pure joy and happiness.

P.S. Thanks for listening