Deep Uprising

Surfacing Your Inner Revolt to

Make a Stand

Shawn Bent
 Cowardice asks the question, “Is it safe?”
Expediency asks the question, “Is it
politic?” And vanity comes along and asks
the question, “Is it popular?” But
Conscience asks the question, “Is it right?”
And there comes a time when one must
take a position that is neither safe, nor
politic, nor popular, but he must do it
because Conscience tells him it is right.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
The tyrant uses the gun and the activist
uses his/her voice. The brain is mightier
than the gun and the voice will always
penetrate deeper than the bullet...

The world is a dangerous place, not

because of those who do evil, but because
of those who look on and do nothing.
Albert Einstein
Preface
It is amazing what life can throw at you sometimes. Just when you think that you know
everything and have seen everything, you are then met with another surprise around the
next corner. Having been a writer for the past 5-6 years, I have at times thought that my
writing was “finished” and I had nothing else to offer to the world, to the universe and to
life. But in almost all cases, I found out that I was wrong.

When I opened my mind and started questioning the world around me, I started to realize
that something was wrong – horribly wrong. It seems that this system that we live in (and
systems around the world) is taking away from our freedom, quality of life and well-
being as we know it – or in this case, as most of us are unaware of. Everyday, it is
becoming more and more apparent that authority and different proponents of the world
are not serving us, but rather we are serving them. Most of the information that we are
bombarded with from the mainstream media is designed to keep us engaged, it is
designed to maintain the trust that we have extended to the system. Quite frankly – we’re
misplacing our trust.

It has gotten to a point where we are now in grave danger of losing our liberties, our
humanity and our dignity as we know it to benefit the relatively small group of people in
the world who always seem to walk away from any catastrophe completely unscathed.
One man profits while another man’s body lies barren.

It is pretty clear that everybody’s intentions follow the same credo: change, peace and
harmony. I understand everybody wants these and that everybody is sick and tired of the
constant barrage of chaos, turmoil and bloodshed in the world. However, most of us are
conditioned (not born with) with a foundation of apathy, ignorance and fear. The truth is
that we are the change, not some powerful elite at the top. We The People are the
change.

I understand that this statement is very radical to most people and I will get an adverse
reaction. There are a lot of people out there who have faith in the system and believe it
will lead us into the sunshine. You can maintain your trust and faith in this system if you
wish without any critical analysis – the same system that is steadily eroding your quality
of life. If you want to maintain your trust, fine – however, I would suggest a different
tact.
It has been said that the definition of insanity entails doing the same thing over and over
again while expecting different results each time – and that is exactly what we are doing.
We’re giving away our faith and power to a powerful elite (therefore diminishing our
responsibilities for change) and expecting a rosy future in return because they know what
is best for us. This kind of worldview forces me to pose a question: How do we expect to
achieve a beneficial future when we don’t even know who we are or what we’re doing in
most cases?
How can we say we are getting closer to freedom if that freedom entails reducing our
quality of life, depreciating nature through war, famine and economic strife, manifesting
restless cynicism amongst ourselves and ceasing real responsibility for our actions?

The reality is that the quality of the blossoming is mostly dependent upon its root. If we
want change to blossom, it must come from us – the people – and we are living in times
where this concept must be realized. There is absolutely no way that real change will
occur unless we understand ourselves and each other out of Love (I don’t mean mere
emotional Love, but rather the Love of deep understanding, realization and eternal
liberty) and that we are the root cause of the turmoil and the chaos.

This essay is about standing up for what you believe in while realizing deep down that
you are the true force at work that is really shaping the future for mankind. It is designed
to serve as a platform in order to give you the opportunity to open your mind and your
heart in order to attract the truth that will truly set you free.

It’s easy to interpret this as self-help cliché or New Age nonsense – but I assure you that
it is quite universal and that it is going on around you all the time. In a time where
darkness is encroaching upon us and all the exits are about to be sealed, our only refuge is
our deepest selves.

I wrote this essay for my fellow Canadians. I also wrote it for my fellow Americans,
Iraqis, Afghans, Swedes, Kenyans, Jamaicans, Germans, Russians, Scots, Italians and so
forth. There is beauty all over the world and our children bear its most precious fruit. This
is an opportunity for everybody to become conscious as we are all created equal – but
unfortunately taught that we are all separate and we must annihilate one another in order
to maintain our dignity. I am a reflection of you (and vice versa) in this mirror of life –
not just the reflection in your sunglasses, your rear view mirror or on the surface of your
eyes.

I hope this essay will help you realize one thing down the road as these years unfold: that
you are free consciousness with no limits and no bounds.

One’s real life is so often the life that one does not lead.
Oscar Wilde

Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood.

Marie Curie
All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.
Galileo

Every man carries in him the whole of the human condition.

Montaigne

Deep Uprising
Surfacing Your Inner Revolt to Make a
Stand

I think we all have a little voice inside us that will guide us…if we shut out all the noise and
clutter from our lives and listen to that voice, it will tell us the right thing to do.
Christopher Reeve

Introduction
We are in the midst of very challenging times and it seems as though every time we turn
around, the darkness is much closer than ever before. It seems that we can’t walk away
from the TV or the radio without perhaps thinking to ourselves: “Is the end of the world
upon us?” or “Is the world the end…?

After several scores of human history, contrary to popular belief, the human race as a
whole is still not free. Many of us claim we are free, but we are rather enslaved by our
perishable pleasures and appetites (please do not confuse this with engaging in your
passions – pleasures and passions are totally different things). We carry on the charade of
freedom while deep down we are still locked our prison cells of fear and ignorance –
gagged, shackled and blindfolded. Is there a way out, one asks? It feels like there isn’t
one and many of us tend to believe that we were made to spend eternity being slaves at
the black hand of a mercenary.

I am aware that many of you reading this have been through tunnels of trials and
tribulations. I understand that there are many of you that want positive, peaceful and
lasting change in this world, but are constantly inflamed by thoughts and emotions that
dictate that nothing will change in an environment that strips you of that opportunity. I
believe many of you want to rise up and live your destiny – only to have discouragement
weigh down on you like a ton of bricks.

One can only endure this type of perception for so many years…..then there comes a time
– a time where one finally starts the question the world: the calamity, the malaise, the
resentment, the bitter and bloody rivalries. Is this all there is? Let me ask once more: Is
this all there is?
A Bitter Pill to Swallow
I recall a scene from the popular movie The Matrix where Morpheus is sitting down with
Neo in a room draped in shadows and desolation. At one point during the conversation
(which turns out to be a pivotal moment in the movie) Morpheus offers Neo two different
pills: a blue one and a red one. Should Neo take the blue one, he will return to his
slumber and convince himself that his calling was but a mere dream. Should he take the
red one, Morpheus will then fulfill his promise to take Neo down the rabbit hole far
beyond of what he can imagine in order to discover his true self and to learn the true
nature of reality.

Therein lies the key – the discovery of oneself. However, embarking on the journey can
be a very fearful thing. Down the rabbit hole, you cannot see what is ahead and there is a
surprise around every corner. Once you go deep down, there is no turning back and it is
either prosperity or peril. The red pill may be bitter and tough to swallow, but it is
something one must do in order to discover his/her true salvation, prosperity and destiny.

You have to leave it all behind…all the falsehoods that you have been told and raised
upon – by the mainstream media, by “religious leaders”, by those in authority and
perhaps your parents and peers. Your worst enemy down the rabbit hole is not the
termites, not the earthworms nor the reptiles – but rather your own ego that keeps your
brain in a cell.

But why is it so hard to take the red pill? Why do so many us choose to live out our lower
nature and refuse to acknowledge higher levels of intelligence and intuition? Why do we
approve of, and are even grateful for, our own chains… despite their fierce and intense
limitations? I never realized this until relatively recently, but I believe there is a big
reason as to why so many of us refuse to be awakened…

It is a fear that manifests on an unconscious level.

The fear of what other people think of us.

It is more than just a simple matter of peer pressure going way beyond of what you
experienced in high school. I believe most people want to speak out and have an idea of
how they want to go about it, only to be only to be ensnared by fear of public opinion. It
is the single, most crushing thing to the revolutionary spirit and couldn’t come at a time
where dissent is needed the most.

Stand Up to Stand Down

If you speak out, or seek the truth about something, you may find (or have found)
yourself being harassed, taunted, cursed at, spat at and alienated overall (and in extreme
cases – jailed, tortured or killed). Maybe you’ve been accused of being too suspicious,
told that you’re a nutcase or have been cast a wary eye for daring to investigate into the
unknown whom others are afraid to pursue. I never understood as to why seeking the
truth or speaking the truth caused such an adverse reaction among others. It’s almost as if
it is illegal to explore into the unknown or to inquire or question into things that we don’t
immediately perceive.

Why is it that we promote free speech, encourage discussion and the right to be different
when at the same time we slander those actions whenever they are committed by a
creative, peaceful and thoughtful individual? The fact is that we create enemies amongst
ourselves and most of us do not respect each other for our differences or for being
different, especially when it comes to a revolutionary act (and in times like today, a
revolutionary act has never been more important). In other words, we do respect our
differences but only by the standards of authority, of public opinion and by the standards
of what we have seen on television shows and sitcoms. It reminds me of a quote by late
comedian Bill Hicks: “You are free to do as we tell you.”

We live in this dream world, this illusion that we are free and we accept that we are. We
are living in a world of relentless propaganda and a fanfare of mainstream glamour that
consistently holds our attention so we are rendered less inclined to question the nature of
the system that we live in. We believe that this reality is the absolute and seem to define
our reality through misery and suffering. So how can we be free then?

It is interesting to note that while we are grateful for our “freedom”, we are at the same
time complaining and lamenting about the system putting more and more chains on our
liberties and our peace of mind…and we need those chains in order to be free! Does
anybody see a contradiction here?

Why can’t we explore and question the reasons behind events and world affairs in order
to discover the truth? Why is that we are blackballed incessantly by those in authority
and, more painfully, our parents and our peers when we inquire into something that is out
of the ordinary? What we are doing is keeping each other down and limiting our potential
to fulfill our destinies. I mentioned earlier that self-discovery was the key element in
being able to rise up, stand up for what you believe in and to speak out against those in
authority who are abusing their power and practicing unconstitutional actions. Allow me
to illustrate my earlier statement with a brief anecdote.

Out from the In-Crowd

I never was a person to go along with the crowd, and so for most of my life I have been a
bit of a loner. I never was satisfied with what the majority was saying and I was bored
easily because I felt everybody was the same. Sometimes being a loner bothered me
because generally we all want to be a part of something and we lean on our friends to
make some of our decisions, even crucial ones at that. But for some reason, I just wasn’t
inclined to do what everyone else was doing. I rarely go to pubs, I hate dance clubs and I
rarely do things that all the other young adults do. If you like doing all that stuff, then
more power to you – I’m just saying that stuff never appealed to me. So, as a result, when
you are by yourself most of the time, people, at least some people, are somewhat inclined
to look down upon you and not take you seriously. I have been told that my behaviour
was abnormal, antisocial and the like. But I never really gave it much thought because I
thought that it was a normal part of my nature.

Of course along the way, I started believing that I wasn’t normal and I guess I started
having fits of depression and bouts of loneliness. It doesn’t sound like much written on
paper, but believe me, I felt something significant and very real. Have you ever heard that
after you’ve been told something enough times that eventually you start to believe it,
even if it isn’t in your best interest? Well, that happened to me. It eventually got to a
point where I wanted to be like everyone else because I believed I would find comfort, be
safe and seek some kind of security – even a false sense of security. But I just couldn’t
start behaving like that and it made me angry, enraged in some cases.

It is absolutely amazing the effect peer pressure can have on a person – it can literally
drive him/her to the brink of insanity. You try so hard to be a part of a group but for some
reason you end up feeling worse than ever before, even to the point of committing suicide
– the old “goodbye cruel world”.

Somewhere along the line I started re-evaluating as to who I was and what I wanted to do
with my life. As I was doing that, I simultaneously stopped listening to others and started
listening to my “self”. I finally separated myself from the herd. When I did that, part of
me on the inside started to awaken and, as a result, I started to view the world in a whole
new way. Very powerful things can happen when you start practicing this simple
concept, but most people ignore its potent potential. Why? Because we are told that it is
not important and has no significance whatsoever. It’s amazing how you suddenly see the
world differently when you finally take the time to go inside yourself and listen to
yourself, rather than just merely following others like a bewildered lemming.

I found that the more I listened to others (what I mean is just merely listening without any
analyzing whatsoever) the more I was afraid to express my views because I felt theirs
was “right”. I felt that their views were the ultimate – they were everything and I was
nothing. Whenever I did finally present an alternative theory, I was looked down upon
and indirectly told that I was wrong (and told that I was too young therefore I was
naïve…now I know those types of perceptions are just cop-outs).

The moral of the story is this. I am convinced that there are many people that want to rise
up and take a stand for all the nonsense in the world and to bring it to an end, once and
for all. In order to do that, it is vital that they must listen to themselves and become
conscious of themselves first in order to see through the illusion of reality. Once they
reconnect with their intuitive capabilities, then, and only then, will real change come into
play. As Gandhi once said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
Doing things the other way around will have catastrophic effects.

What Price Are You Willing To Pay?

It is all about looking at the world around you – just looking at it and realizing what type
of world we’re moving into, let alone what we are already living in. Just looking deep
inside yourself, deep down, and realizing what you’re sick and tired of, what angers you,
what enrages you – and getting up and doing something about it. What is it you value?
What change do you want to see…for yourself…and for others?

The people around you will think you are crazy, call you a “nut” and harass and ridicule
you for standing up for what you believe in. It is very important to acknowledge (if you
disagree with me on this one, I understand) that they are not the enemy. So many of us
are so caught up in our influences and our cultural appetites that we don’t see where we
are headed or who is really controlling us, the whole time thinking that we have a free
will and a free conscience. That’s why when people say that they “woke up”, they really
do see as to how they have been lied to and deceived – and the drastic consequences it
has had.

Don’t think peer pressure is a big thing? Look around you. Why are so many people in
debt? Why are so many people getting divorced? Why all the various health problems,
including heart attacks striking young adults? Why the rising crime? Why the gradual
losing of our liberties and the mounting injustice around the world? All of these can be
traced back to peer pressure of some kind. Every action we perform creates a reaction (or
“domino effect”) from our surroundings and these reactions come in various formats.
Open your mind and you will notice this concept immediately taking place. We are
connected and the more we let our influences and egos get the better of us, the more
negative change we will see expressed around us. What makes me sad is that most people
won’t do anything about it until it is far too late.

If you choose to not become conscious and give into the herd mentality, you’ll be taking
a great risk – a risk that has consequences that far outweighs the benefits. If you want to
make a difference but choose to remain idle, I must ask you: What price are you willing
to pay?

What price are you willing to pay for not thinking for yourself?

What price are you willing to pay for not sending your voice out into the universe and
making a creative contribution to put an end to this nonsense and tyranny on the planet?

What price are you willing to pay for letting your fear run your life?

What price are you willing to pay for ignoring your revolutionary duty to stand up in the
face of tyranny and injustice?

What price are you willing to pay leaving the decisions to those in elite power, only to
find months down the road that your neighbors have been grossly impoverished and more
people that have died at the gain of a few people at the top – all of this on your behalf?
What price are you willing to pay for giving up and walking away, letting them get the
best of you while people close to you suffer greatly as a result?

Just One Person?

It seems that one has been convinced that he/she is just one person. It is believed that one
person that can do nothing about the disorder and malaise among humanity and is forever
at the whim at a tiny group of oppressors that rule our lives. “Well I’m just one person,
this is out of my control. I can’t do anything.” While it may be true that one person can’t
do anything, history tells us a far different story.

It is surprising what can happen when one person becomes enraged and starts doing
something about all this madness. Look back through history for just a moment. Who was
it that changed the course of history? Was it a group, a mob or a committee? No. In the
vast majority of cases, it was an individual who got the ball rolling and these individuals
came from all walks of life. They woke up and realized, through creative insight, that the
system, whatever conditions they lived under, was doing humanity a great disservice – so
they decided to do something about it. They intuitively knew full well that sitting back
and pretending things were okay would lead to absolute disaster.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mohandas

Gandhi are two big examples of
individuals whose efforts amassed a
movement to epic proportions that
eventually changed the course of
history forever. Martin Luther King
even once stated that it wasn’t him that
made the Civil Rights Movement
effective, it was the people – the
people were the change, not some
government. It is also interesting to
note that Martin Luther King, Gandhi
and others like them always, always
stood up against tyranny, not terrorism.
Tyranny, often occurring on their own
soil, was at the root of the problem and
the only way that could be medicated
was if one person woke up with such a
passion and determination to change things – a determination so
powerful that it would move mountains as a result. Shortly
after, people followed in response.

Marianne Williamson stated this brilliantly in her famous poem

Our Deepest Fear: “…and as I let my own light shine, I
unconsciously give other people permission to do the same…”
(Italics are my emphasis). It is your energy, the energy that you
radiate out into the universe, which has that ripple effect among your fellow human
beings – energy outside of your conscious awareness. If you really know what you want
and change is burning at your core, you will automatically summon others into your
cause. I know, I’ve experienced it and have seen others do the same.

You Are the Next Big Thing

Anybody can be a proponent of change, I don’t care what walk of life you come from. I
don’t care how much money you have. I don’t care if you live with your parents. I don’t
care how you dress, what school you go to, what place you work at or what
neighbourhood you dwell in. Anybody can make a stand. But it all depends on you – you
are the one that must wake up. You are the one that must look deep inside and find out
what summons you and what drives you. I, nor anyone else, can do the awakening for
you. That is like sitting in the driver’s seat and allowing somebody else to take the wheel.
There is too much danger in being driven off the road, so it is best that you do the driving
in order to avoid going into a ditch.

I know it is a big challenge to stand up and face the world. It is much easier to just wake
up, go down to the store and pick up your lottery ticket and hope that you win with your
lucky numbers. However, at the end of the day, 37 million dollars buys you a bigger
house, a bigger car and a new wardrobe. You can put a price tag on all of those things.
You can easily put a price tag on pleasure. But what price can you put on freedom?
None!!! You can’t trade it (ie give up your freedom for security or, laughingly, give up
your liberty for freedom) nor put a price tag on it because it is precious and priceless. If
you trade it, you might as well hand over your soul as well – because you won’t have
much after that.

I know why I wrote this essay on a conscious level but at the same time I don’t know
why. I guess something inside of me no longer wants to go along with the crowd nor do I
intend on sitting around and watching the world end on CNN. I’d much rather make a
contribution towards putting an end to this nonsense. This essay is not meant to just
merely make you feel better for a few minutes and have you forget about it and continue
on in the slumber of your reality. I did not write this in order to convert you into
something you’re not. If you practice a certain religion or have faith in a political party –
that’s fine, continue with it. Just don’t use them as weapons of division and oppression.
But realize that things do not stop there and there is way more to life and what this
universe has to offer if you just reach deep down and discover what it is that is truly you.
Everything, for the most part, is up to you. If you are at all serious about changing the
world for the better, I presume you will take into consideration of what I’ve written here.

How do we expect to really change anything if we just sit around and accept authority
as being synonymous with truth?

To rise up and make a difference, you don’t have to take a giant leap…but rather a small
step, for the little things often make the big difference. One casts a stone into a lake in
order to cascade ripples out into the ocean. Equally, one begins with a small step in order
to cascade ripples out into the universe. It has been said that it is the start that stops most
people. Therefore, the most crucial action for you is to start.

To all the naysayers, fear mongers, shame mongers and guilt dispensers who despise us
because we’re different, here is what I have to say:

Dissent is not a crime…but rather a revolutionary duty and a constitutional responsibility.

We are not your enemies. We are neither radicals nor terrorists. We are not “conspiracy
nuts.”

We only wish to be different, for the price to pay for mindless conformity and
compliance is far too high to pay and those who collect the profits on the other side have
absolutely nothing to gain. We will prevail despite your criticism and ridicule. We will
rebel against unjust and immoral laws that further weaken the fabric of our society.

It is imperative that you understand that we want the same things as you in this long
climb back to freedom:

We want hospitality rather than hostility.

Truth rather than trauma.

Forgiveness rather than frustration.

Serenity rather than segregation.

Reconciliation rather than racism.

Liberty rather than libel.

Peace rather than pestilence.

Ingenuity rather than isolation.

And equality rather than extermination.

You will have to endure the slander of your fellow men. But please remember that there
are others out there just like you and are there to support your efforts while permitting
others to do the same – all you have to do is open your mind and your heart…and they
will come.

Once you take the red pill, once you’ve gone deep down the rabbit hole, there is no
turning back. If there was an option of turning back, would you really want to?

I have no idea what you will get out of this essay nor do I know what you will do with it.
If you want to use it to inspire you, to pass it on to others, or if you want to dispose of it
as just another piece of worthless self-help dribble, then by all means do so – you have
the freedom to choose. I don’t know if you’ll ever become conscious, if you haven’t
already, but if you want to be locked in this force field of fear for the rest of your life –
again, that is your choice.

Still Doubtful about Rising up?

I realize that you have heard the phrase “Stand up for what you believe in” a million
times before and I can understand as to how this can get tiresome. I used to hear that as
well over and over throughout my teen years and such and never really paid much
attention to it…

…until now.

I now realize that this concept is vital considering the times that we are living in and
where they are headed.

It is nerve-wracking to take a stand. You get this “voice” in your head that tells you to
stop. “It is not worth what you’re doing,” or “…people are going to think your nuts,” or
“…it is unpatriotic,” the voice says out of doubt and fear. It is understandable to hear
those comments drone on in your head because you are simply leaving your comfort
zone. The comfort zone of just going along with the crowd and blending in. The comfort
zone of pretending everything is okay and looking the other way whenever a major event
manifests in the world. The comfort zone of maintaining the attitude “I can’t do
anything…the government will fix everything…” The comfort zone of using some sort of
an escape mechanism to get away from reality, hoping all the problems will just breeze
by you with very little resistance. The comfort zone of, “hear no evil, see no evil”. The
comfort zone of just going through life in a haze like a zombie….because “life’s a bitch,
then you die.”

So your peers tell you your nuts for standing up for what you believe in or tell you what
your doing is not right…and eventually you tell yourself that they’re right and there is no
point to standing up and speaking out in some way shape or form…you only see that stuff
in the movies after all. Oh yes, and there’s a few prophecies that are going to happen – no
point in standing up now- just surrender.

If you do abide by these often snide and scornful comments by your peers and feel guilt
for standing up for what you believe in, I have to ask you this: What good, value or
service are you doing for yourself or your peers for standing down and not taking
responsibility for what is happening in the world? How do you protect freedom by
diminishing and destroying it?

We have a big avalanche of chaos bearing down on us and we are the snowflakes that are
responsible for creating it, as Voltaire once said. We have created a Frankenstein that we
are now running away from. If we created it, then we can reverse it, right?
And in regard to the constant divide and conquer amongst ourselves: How can we call
this Love…if that Love entails denying our potential as human beings and erasing our
humanity and our own freedom as we know it…?

We The People!
I get discouraged sometimes because it seems like events are getting the best of us. I get
discouraged because it seems like there is a mass of people who don’t care and won’t do
anything and that the number of people becoming conscious isn’t increasing.

But I somehow manage to remind myself that what I’m doing and helping others do is
worth it and patriotic. I’m also consciously and unconsciously contributing to forces that
will help bring the universe back into balance…

Do you still think that you have no power? Most of what happens in the world is a result
of us handing our power over to those in elite authority. Most of what happens is a
reflection of our Fear and our failure to really see who we are in order to connect with our
“higher selves”. We look in the mirror every day to focus on a particular part without
truly and intuitively taking into consideration and understanding how the whole image
goes together.

You know, I find that there are co-existing realities. There is always a governing force
that is occurring beneath our conscious awareness. There are the people who are not yet
awakened to what is really happening in the world and there are people who are aware,
are understanding and are being enlightened to the truth. You never know where the
second group is going to come from. You could pass by them in the street. They are not
mentioned in the newspapers or on the TV screens and there are no uniforms to identify
with. But there are people out there and there are forces at work out there to make things
better. Who is responsible for these forces?

We the People!

Who is a major part of this?

You are!

All this craziness about the system- the same system that we mindlessly conform to- is
just a veil that is about to be lifted. The system is powered by us…we are the system
rather than servants of it. So if the system fails….is that necessarily a bad thing? I
challenge you to really think about that one…

At the same time, we are all a part of something special, especially in times like these. I
know it is hard to look at it that way, but once you deeply reflect and realize what you are
all about, that realization will come to you too. I don’t know how to explain it – but
you’ll know it once it arrives. Just remember that there’s a difference between passive
agreement and total understanding.
There is a world of darkness threatening to smother us. But if you are awakened, deeply
within, you’ll see though the darkness and understand the Light through a communion
with your mind and your heart.

Your mind will tell you, “There is nowhere to run”.

Your heart will tell you, “There is no need to run – because you are already here…in this
place called Love.”

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
Thomas Jefferson

In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

George Orwell

I believe that the human race has developed a form of collective schizophrenia in which we are
not only the slaves to this imposed thought behavior, but we are also the police force of it.
David Icke

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who
accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.

Mohandas Gandhi

Watching television is like taking black spray paint to your third eye.
Bill Hicks

It's up to us, the people, to break immoral laws, and resist. As soon as the leaders of a country lie
to you, they have no authority over you. These maniacs have no authority over us. And they
might be able to put our bodies in prison, but they can't put our spirits in prison.
Cindy Sheehan

If you have no critics you'll likely have no success.

Malcolm X

Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.

John F. Kennedy

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.

Carl Gustav Jung
Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot
understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and
courageously uses his intelligence.
Albert Einstein

Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the
preservation of our liberty.
Thomas Jefferson

There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.

From the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day

I’ve been told that I’m not normal…and I’ve never been more grateful for being different –
because uniqueness is a product of Love. Conformity puts you in chains. Apathy tightens them.
Ignorance bonds them. Love releases them.
Shawn Bent

*You have permission to reprint this essay and/or copy selected passages*

www.shawnbentreality.com

[email protected]

What’s the difference between fighting for freedom,

having our rights taken away for liberty and having
freedom within the security of our own chains and
shackles?