Our lives take us on so many paths. I could have been a physicist, a gardener, or a monk; each of these possibilities was real at one time. Instead, the sacred and literature chose me as their own, as if in reality, it was always meant to be that my life would be intertwined with theirs.

I could have happily followed the typical role of the author: writing, lecturing, and writing criticism of other artists in a mainly hermetic world. But the revolutionary act of bearing witness to life has shown me what a challenging yet beautiful world full of possibility we live in. The simple meeting of life with one’s authentic gaze is the greatest act of humanity and dignity there is – yet this makes one the outsider. To find a way every day to continue doing this, to keep allowing the space of ‘what is’ to shine through the teachings, writings, videos, photographs and so on, is my way through the vehicle of this very particular human life to both envision and create a world that is breathed and shaped by the soul of what truly is – most people call this God or presence, or awareness. God is not the name of God, so I just live with and act from the isness.

Like you, there are times when I get caught and drown in the politics of the world, and there are so many things I have seen and experienced in my own life, in the very town and countries I live and travel in; there are things that are much worse than death. It is not true that words can never hurt us. Human dignity can be destroyed with a single word, neighbour can be turned against neighbour, and war can shout its name in the guise of being for peace and righteousness. In this whirling mess of emotion and division, the only thing that can restore us is the light within ourselves; this is where art is at its most valuable, not in argument or sentimentality, but in truth, dreams, expression, and storytelling. Just as words can destroy our mortal life as readily as the gun, so it is that a true line written down can unlock a life that has not dared to breathe for years. It can bring empathy and dignity through the simple sharing of stories, through the medium of black ink on paper, or when spoken aloud in a room in front of an audience. It can give life to those who have never had a chance at one, and it can lift us, though we may not even know how much we need this medicine.

Authenticity, bearing witness and taking action are more important than ever. We are always riding at the front edge of time, and there will always be those who desire that these are the worst of times. The meditator, the yogi, the artist, the dreamer, the worker, and the scientist are all necessary. Ask yourself, what real contributions do media, banking, or politics make as they stand at this time? How do they help with understanding, evolution, and the true path of the human spirit? I, for one, will continue as the outsider to transgress and illuminate by travelling these roads with love as best I can through this being, erasing through presence the borders that have been drawn on the map in order to divide us. For there are no borders, and there is no war between ordinary people when we truly see with our spirit that there is no separation.

With Love
John Siddique