I’m often asked: “Why are you so different?” Honestly, I find this question amusing. I also wonder if this is a fair question to ask. Who isn’t different? Right? My general response to this quizzical statement is “Do you know if you’re even normal?” With this, the subject is usually dropped, and for good reason.

Many forms of spirit exist in the communal sphere. I respect all inhabitants; the religious and the philosophical; absolutism and non-absolutism. Whether the pupil of any formal doctrine is simply pondering, has devout faith, or is questioning the workings of his order; he has my attention and my respect. I have the same love for those who are lost, confused, seeking or simply poking around the fire. And yes, it is–indeed–a divine fire; one that makes the sphere a splendor to travel through.

My personal perspective combines a preference to be nonconforming to culture, dismissive of status, and having the tendency to do the opposite of what others find interesting or faddish. Doing anything else, to me, is sheepish. Simply put, I will not follow the norm of the communal sphere, because I find its margins and innerworkings to be more alluring. I choose this path for me and for me alone; though I can acknowledge that all paths are righteous unto the perspective traveler.

I see no use or purpose in following trends, or following mindlessly; nor do I find taking information given to me at twenty-third hand useful. I explore my own truths and research my own philosophy. I prefer to be settled in pursuit of my own personal goals; to be fascinated by the various belief systems of all people; to explore and articulate my own perception of reality through art; specifically with sculpture, and that of the written word.

The communal sphere–culture–is an operating system, much like that of a computer program. I believe this statement was one of Terrence McKenna’s favorite ponderings, though his solution was to wipe the “disc” clean using psychedelic drugs such as DMT. This statement holds many truths. You act, dress, behave, work and interact all based on the culture that you’re born into; much like a designed program, or the wolf born into the pack.

Culture inoculates its people upon birth, and they must grow into it before they can break free from it. An unfair advantage of the culture, yes, but one must understand the specific sphere of culture before he or she can decide whether or not to embrace it; this all comes with age and experience.

The family, I believe, is the first defense. Individuals born into a family that embraces the whole of everything; that embraces and accepts all customs and all people may quite possibly have a rich outlook on life, or possibly not. This all depends on teaching within the family sphere and the community wherein the sphere is poised. Those born into traditional religious families can also have the same rich outlook, or possibly not; so it can also be said of those those born into a family of hatred and bigotry, or any other family construct. The choice remains available within the communal sphere, but can only be chosen when the heart gains vision and falls away from the construct; enabling the spirit to peer through the forest.

The communal sphere is one to be tread upon with care. Though we all share this vast reality, it is truly a different experience for all of us. In one such theory, all sentient beings can be classified into single but separate points of awareness, experiencing reality, space and time in an exclusively unique fashion. We glide through this sphere abiding by its laws, rules and customs. But… once the sphere is realized, we become free to visit its neighbors. Know yourself, and know the sphere you’re in.