Making eye contact
-By Kyle Hoobin

Why do we turn away when we make eye contact with someone we don't know? Is it because it's impolite? Or is it because that 'stranger' can see more about us than even our closest friends can?

You could say, that when a stranger looks at you, they are seeing you as you REALLY are, that is to say, without any mental labels or projections 'about' who you are. This can feel unsettling to us because we feel exposed, the guardian of our heart is down for a brief moment, and we are at the mercy of life's will. We haven't yet 'figured' them out, and so we feel that they have 'figured' us out instead. . .

. . . and what have they 'figured' out about us? Well. . . since most of us are afraid of rejection, of not being accepted, of not living up to another's expectations, chances are that they have 'figured' out that we are an unworthy, unloveable, unimportant person.

Have you ever noticed what it's REALLY like to walk by a 'stranger' on the street? Have you paid close attention to what goes on inside of you when this happens?

Ultimately, to be a stranger is to be a 'nobody' to someone else. Yet this IS the truth of our being is it not?

So what's so bad about being a nobody? Better yet, what's so great about being a somebody?

Let's look at our score sheet here for a second:

A somebody can fail
A nobody can't

A somebody needs somebody else
A nobody doesn't need anybody

A somebody cannot let go
A nobody never grabbed on

A somebody is afraid of death all of the time
A nobody was never born, and therefore, can never die

A somebody half-loves
A nobody loves unconditionally

A somebody is separate from everything
A nobody is one with everything

A somebody never has enough
A nobody is eternally abundant

A somebody is always judging, and being judged
A nobody knows no judgment


There is an inherent dis-trust that most of us carry towards life and everyone in it. It's no wonder that 99.99% of our goals in life are designed to remedy our most deepest darkest belief: "I am not enough."

What are the inevitable consequences of not being enough? Let's see. . . there's . . . "I will not be taken care of" . . . "I'm unworthy" . . . "I'm ugly" . . . "I need to look smart". . . "I have to survive". . . "I cannot do what I enjoy". . . and the list goes on and on.

What a hellish nightmare don't you think? Hard to believe that most humans on the planet right now are living their lives like this eh? Or, maybe it's not so hard to believe, just opening our eyes should be enough of a wake-up call : )

You could say, that the degree to which we feel the image in the mirror has to change, is the degree to which we are still trapped in hell.

Perhaps heaven on earth is not so far away after-all?