Are you aware that men almost never make eye contact with each other, unless they are in a social setting?<\/p>\n
Why not?<\/p>\n
Well, to us men it is simply way too overt an aggressive act as direct eye contact between men is an outright challenge.<\/p>\n
Are the above statements my opinion, or are they verifiable facts?\u00a0 They are neither, they’re assertions of something I believe is self-evident.\u00a0 That is what my blog, my tweets, and my book<\/a>[s] are about.\u00a0 They are about Truths<\/em><\/strong> as I see them.\u00a0 Contrary truths, truths others might not see, yet they are all truths to me –\u00a0 like the tag line of my website says, what I offer is “Another View, of True\u00a0\u00a9<\/span><\/em><\/strong>“.\u00a0 Although it seems to contradict my previous sentence, something interesting about truth is how for something to be true it must be true for everyone, everywhere, all the time<\/em>.\u00a0 Doesn’t that mean Truth can’t be contradictory?\u00a0 No, it doesn’t mean that at all.\u00a0 It means that truth is modified by perception.\u00a0 Something else about truth is that it must still be perceived to be true when investigated with an open heart and mind.\u00a0 I’m going to try and do that, but first let me set context by using an excerpt from the second book in my work, “Malmaxa<\/strong><\/em>“. What is Malmaxa? Its an obscure tome in a genre that doesn’t exist, a genre I have labeled Philosophy, couched as Fantasy.<\/em><\/p>\n Ryntam immediately countered, \u201cMany listen, few hear, and even less understand.\u00a0 The truth in this matter\u2026 discern it.\u201d<\/span> Now, back to the investigation of my opening assertion.<\/p>\n We should never<\/strong> take anything at face value, and we should never take anything for granted.\u00a0 This is especially true of the things we are not permitted to question.\u00a0 After all, if something cannot withstand even rudimentary questioning then it simply cannot be true.<\/p>\n I asserted that men almost never make eye contact with each other, unless they are in a social setting.\u00a0 If you question this, which you should, then verify it by watching the behavior of men outside<\/em><\/strong> a social setting.\u00a0 How often do you see two men who don’t know each other look directly at each other?<\/p>\n Women will find this exercise easy.\u00a0 Men won’t.\u00a0 If you’re a man, I think you’ll find it quite difficult since it entails you being covertly aggressive toward men you don’t know – men who will be aggressive toward you if they notice you’re watching them.\u00a0 Of course the ultimate, though extremely foolhardy test of voracity for men would be to actually do it yourself.\u00a0 How?\u00a0 Walk down a street in which you don’t know anyone and stare at every man you see.\u00a0 Actually… don’t do it.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because\u00a0whether verbally, physically, or by a third party, you will be assaulted – but you men already knew that didn’t you?<\/p>\n Like so many truths we investigate, this brings us to another interesting question to ponder.\u00a0 Why do men feel challenged when other men look at them?<\/p>\n Could it be a left over genetic prerogative from caveman days?\u00a0 At first glance that seems like a reasonable assumption.\u00a0 However cavemen wandered around in social<\/em> groups, so the assertion doesn’t apply.\u00a0 Did they attack and kill any other groups whose menfolk looked at them?\u00a0 Though that is a romantic notion all too often promulgated by fantasy, I seriously doubt it.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because if they had we wouldn’t exist today, we’d have died out from lack of genetic diversity. {Another assertion to question, but I’m afraid you’ll have to investigate it on your own :)}\u00a0 However, I don’t doubt bloodshed ensued when a group of cavemen encountered another humanoid group they perceived<\/em><\/strong> as different from themselves.<\/p>\n And there it is…\u00a0 Wait…?\u00a0 What…?<\/p>\n Uncertainty<\/em><\/strong> of course!\u00a0 We have a very powerful distrust of people we perceive to be different than ourselves.\u00a0 Men, the defenders of their womenfolk from the attentions of other men, are much more prone to this uncertain distrust.\u00a0 I’m very confident we’re hardwired to react aggressively to any perceived threat – like many other animals I think our instincts insist it is better to be safe than it is to be dead.\u00a0 So we immediately prepare something I’d like to think of as heightened preemptive awareness<\/em>.\u00a0 Unfortunately this state is also pretty aggressive and pretty irrational, of which neither emotion is pretty at all.<\/p>\n Irrational people are easily manipulated.<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong> {File that thought for later consideration.}<\/p>\n People who are distinguishably different make us uncertain.\u00a0 When we are uncertain we feel unsure.\u00a0 When we’re unsure we don’t feel safe.\u00a0 When we don’t feel safe we feel afraid.\u00a0 When we feel afraid we act irrationally.\u00a0 When we act irrationally people get hurt.\u00a0 We can’t help ourselves.\u00a0\u00a0 Please don’t accept any<\/strong> of this, question it all.\u00a0 You deserve to discover your truths for yourself, and I believe the only way anyone ever manages that feat is by investigating and questioning everything – including and especially themselves.<\/p>\n We can’t help ourselves…\u00a0 Did I say that?\u00a0 Did you believe it?\u00a0 I really hope you didn’t.\u00a0 You see, the truth is that we can<\/strong> help ourselves.\u00a0 Yes, we are genetically encoded to feel certain things in certain circumstances.\u00a0 That is an inescapable fact sometimes referred to as a biological, or genetic imperative.\u00a0 I believe one of those feelings causes uncertainty when we encounter something we don’t recognize, something like people who seem completely different to us.\u00a0 But what I believe doesn’t matter.\u00a0 What you<\/em> believe matters.\u00a0\u00a0 But how do you know what to believe?\u00a0 Easy.\u00a0 By questioning until you’re completely satisfied you<\/em> grasp the truth.<\/p>\n And the truth to me, is that we can<\/em><\/strong> help ourselves.\u00a0 We can overcome our ingrained prejudices, regardless of whether their source is genetic, social, religious, cultural, national, or whatever.\u00a0 We can overcome our uncertainty<\/em>, along with everything that negative feeling leads to when left unfettered and uncontrolled.\u00a0 However we can only do so if we’re willing to ask ourselves the hardest questions, and then keep on asking until we<\/em><\/strong> answer with our own personal and inescapable truth.\u00a0 Until we<\/em><\/strong> answer, not until someone else gives us an answer.<\/p>\n What is the inescapable truth?\u00a0 There isn’t one – there are many<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 However the path to enlightenment begins with the first question to which we find our own personal and inescapable truth<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n One of my inescapable truths is that although every human is unique, fundamentally we’re all the same.\u00a0 We are all<\/strong> genetically compatible.\u00a0 Any fertile, gender diverse pair of humans from anywhere across the entire Earth can mate and engender a child.\u00a0 Try as hard as you like, for as long as you like – you will be unable to disprove this.\u00a0 It is an inescapable truth.<\/em>\u00a0 We. Are. All. The. Same.<\/strong>\u00a0 Surely there is more to humanity than mere genetics?\u00a0 Of course there is, feelings and emotions are at the root of how how we define ourselves as “human”.\u00a0 But that doesn’t matter – we’re still the same!\u00a0 We all love, hope, hurt, and fear.\u00a0 There isn’t one of us anywhere, any time, who doesn’t.<\/p>\n Unfortunately there are powerful people who profit from uncertainty, and it is precisely those people who control the media, the governments, and the corporations that treat people like commodities to be bought, used, exploited, sold, and discarded.\u00a0 But for people to be controlled it is necessary to fill them with uncertainty, along with all the negative emotions uncertainty brings along as baggage.\u00a0 I believe this is why those powerful people cast seeds of uncertainty through the constant assertion they are different from us!<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Those power mongers lie.\u00a0 There is no us versus them<\/em>, there is only humanity and we are all the same<\/em>.\u00a0 Dig deep in your heart and you’ll find this is inescapably true – fundamentally, we’re all human.<\/p>\n The power mongers<\/em><\/strong> tell us we’re different to make us feel uncertain of who we truly are.<\/p>\n Oh, to be wise enough to know — C.G.Ayling (@CGAyling) October 30, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n Jalgar noted the imperative in his child\u2019s voice and smiled.\u00a0 A heartbeat and a pace before he spoke, \u201cYou ask that I discern the truth in the matter of the Chundrah.\u00a0 I shall attempt it.\u201d<\/span>
\n Ryntam knew full well she had demanded, not asked.\u00a0 She glanced at her father.\u00a0 The levity of his tone fortified his words, which clearly showed he would not bow to her simply because of her blue Chukrah.<\/span>
\n Jalgar spoke unhurriedly, \u201cTo the Elder, the Chundrah is heavy.\u00a0 To you, it is light.\u201d\u00a0 He deliberately rephrased her words, ensuring she knew he grasped their meaning.\u00a0 After a pause for emphasis he continued, \u201cThese truths expose a quandary.\u00a0 How can two things seemingly opposite, both be truth?\u00a0 Is truth not absolute?\u201d<\/span>
\n Thoroughly enjoying her father\u2019s reasoning, Ryntam pursed her lips as she nodded slowly.\u00a0 In consideration, not in agreement\u2026<\/em><\/span>
\n Jalgar continued in the same measured tone, \u201cCan there be only a single truth in this matter?\u00a0 If so\u2026 is one perception a lie?\u201d<\/span>
\n Ryntam chuckled in delight before nodding to acknowledge he had fulfilled her request.\u00a0 After a few paces, she murmured, \u201cPerception, indeed.\u00a0 Perception modifies truth.\u201d\u00a0 Another quiet chuckle, \u201cYet there is another matter which troubles me, Father.\u00a0 We agree that to the Elder, the Chundrah is heavy.\u201d<\/span>
\n Jalgar agreed, \u201cYes, that is the Elder\u2019s truth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n
which parts of us are us,
right down to our core,
and which parts of us
are built on patterns other draw…<\/p>\n