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Joshua Bond's avatar

Reminds me of the first stanza of a very old poem of mine:

"Everyone is differently the same

Like the rising sun, and the falling rain

All emanating from the one same Source

That’s why we’re One – of course;"

Each journey of a verbiont as charted in your Symbiopaedia has so much to offer - it is a reference book, for now and the future, and here it is in the making ... a privilege to watch it grow.

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Veronika Bond's avatar

Thank you so much for sharing this poem which illustrates beautifully what identity means, in essence...

"Everyone is differently the same

Like the rising sun, and the falling rain..."

Perfect 💖🙏

Which means, together we can make rainbows and all sorts of magical things, as long as we don't get into our own way.

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Jamie Millard's avatar

Thank you so much. I will read this one 10 times. There’s so much here. Identity equals sameness. It’s amazing how the definition of words change in there use overtime. Id-entity. To break it up changes the meaning entirely. Well done! We lose in find identity many times over... in search of ourselves. The Transcendence of me to we. Sameness. Drifting away from it and then finding that spirit of oneness that keeps pulling us home. Born again. Coming home to that shared spirit of love. Bless you Veronika! 🙏❤️

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Veronika Bond's avatar

Thank you Jamie❣️ With this word I could almost feel myself 'digesting' the word, watching it break up and reassemble itself while transforming its meaning from same to other and back again. Ultimately ~ I believe ~ the search for identity is a journey towards becoming the same that we were born to be. We only feel 'other' as long as we compare ourselves with outer norms while inwardly rejecting our self-sameness.

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Jamie Millard's avatar

And you just wrote the book of life! I’m enjoying reading it here! This is the kind of thing that can change so much! That lens is a perfect way to see the world and to understand our place in it. Bless you 🙏❤️

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Veronika Bond's avatar

The Book of Life ~ yes, I didn't see it that way until you said it. It takes time to wipe that lens clear. I think I'm slowly getting there.... thank you so much for your continued appreciation and support 💕🙏 it's an essential part of the process too!!!

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Lani V. Cox's avatar

Wow. You must be going nuts over how many words these days are used incorrectly/or have been given new meanings. My husband certainly has. It's part of my penance to listen to his lectures on commonly misused words.

There is so much here that I've bookmarked it.

The Oracle at Delphi, "Know Thy Self" has strangely turned out to be my compass, and I think, like you, it's because of life's circumstances having pushed us just a little out on to the ledge. While Third Culture Kids has grown, I can't imagine the numbers have grown that much. I'd be curious to read how that has shaped your identity.

As far as identity politics, that's kind of the power of it, right? To mix and muddy the waters to create confusion and division. I've often complained about the branding of "climate change" -- there would be less debate about whether or not it exists, if we simply decided to clean up the planet. I really don't think you could argue against picking up rubbish, cleaning the air, and water.

I've written and thought about identity a lot, so much so, that it might seem like vanity. But I truly believe if more folks were aware of who they really were, after we strip off the layers, humankind would be in a much saner and safer place. Thank you, Vernoika for bringing me here.

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Veronika Bond's avatar

Well, either you go nuts over the misuse of words, or you make it part of your 'mission' to disentangle the mess. I chose the latter. For me it was an obvious choice because I am a linguist. I happen to love etymology (I had no idea that etymology is a big mess too!) And I am amazed every time I write one of my 'wordcasts' how much the words are teaching me!! So this is quite a fun assignment I have given myself.

I completely resonate with the Oracle of Delphi as a compass. It's not vanity at all, Lani. Many years ago, one of my brothers called it 'self-centred', and at first I felt a little offended. But then I thought, 'No, he's right. I am focusing on my own centre.'

That's what we do. When you focus on your own centre, and that becomes your compass, life itself, and your own conversations with life draw you more and more into your own centre. It is exactly as you say, if more people did that, humankind would be in a saner and safer place!

And you know what? That's written in the 2nd part of the Oracle of Delphi : "Know Thy Self, and you will know the Gods and the Universe."

Welcome to my little corner on substack 💖🙏

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Lani V. Cox's avatar

That's written in the 2nd part of the Oracle of Delphi : "Know Thy Self, and you will know the Gods and the Universe." - Ooooo. I did NOT know that. Thank you!

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