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Why Take a Step Back?

What is the meaning of Human Life?   What is our collective purpose?  What is your individual purpose and how do you satisfy it?  How do we discover our path to this individual sacred purpose?

Is humanity moving in a positive direction?  Is America moving in a positive direction?  Are we as present-day Americans any closer to finding our individual purpose than our less-privileged ancestors?  Indeed, are we as human beings living in the most technologically advanced surge the world quite possibly has ever seen any closer to finding our individual purpose?  Is the human species even moving forward?  Is it possible for humanity to move forward without an inspiring collective vision, direction?

Today, what does it mean to be American?  Has being "American" lost its meaning, its distinction?  What is our responsibility, as Americans, to the rest of humanity?  Is America simply out to emasculate the vulnerable in the misguided hope of sustaining its material world?   What is the true "American Dream" and has it been sold to the highest bidder?  Is the "X" Generation in touch with this dream or disillusioned by it?  What will come of the "Y" Generation (those behind the "X"), what will this America be for them?  Are we as blessed Americans truly making this a better world to live in? 

Have we in the last few decades precipitated a deterioration of possibly the most prominent society in the history of man? Is the dawning of a new millennium merely the beginning of the social, and possibly political, breakdown of our culture?  That is, is our strength in diversity undermined by the blind eyes of racism, has technology and materialism replaced faith and spirituality, are guns taking over our streets, is America losing its distinct "middle-class," has the "family" been resoundingly rejected for our own personal selfish motives, has the "American Way" of innovation and unwavering passion suddenly been obfuscated by complacence, and are the walls of Democracy in the "land of the free" now crumbling in our own apathetic hands? 

What is freedom, true uninhibited freedom?   Where and how is it found, and is America truly the land of the "free"?   What is freedom without the will to utilize that freedom?  Indeed what is it to have freedom without compassion?  What are the burdens of being "free," or does being "free" in today's political and social climate necessitate more responsibility toward the one's who don't possess the same "freedom"? 

What is Faith?  I mean absolute, pure "faith"?  How many of us understand it, let alone possess it?  How do we as individuals discover this "faith," not mind you, a blind belief in a predetermined set of rules, one which leans toward "believing" in something greater; but rather true, selfless "faith"?  Is there an "underlying pattern" to our existence, both individually and collectively one that holds the key to our destinies?  How can we hold the hand of any God without first understanding who we are, not just the complex web of our outer primitive being but the inner core of our spirit?

In essence, who are we and where are we going?

     WHERE ARE WE GOING?

These are the questions we all eventually ask ourselves, particularly as Americans, but more importantly, as Human Beings.  Indeed, these are the questions which plagued my existence and sent me around the world in search of their precious answer.   Take this journey with me, a journey not only around the world but through the introspective fires which burned in the depths of my soul.  Indeed, the fires which burn deeply within each of our souls.  Fly with me along this path toward my fate, my destiny, my place within the cosmos, a path toward understanding myself and the world around me.  Why?  Because it is from this perspective that you will peer within yourself, that is with each glimpse into my world, you see but a mirror of your world and yourself.

Although I found many of the answers to my lingering personal questions, answers to questions I never before contemplated, I discovered few solutions.   Solutions are not for any one individual to discover but rather for development of the collective--of society, a country, or all of humanity.  Is it not our calling individually and collectively as a group to ask these questions and seek the answers and derive solutions?

To prompt change in this world, to make it a better place, we must start with a vision, a collective vision, that is, an ideal.  An ideal, even if naive, is the standard which unifies and stimulates the motivation for creating a better world around you.  Indeed, this was the foundation upon which America and many other great civilizations were created.   Conversely however, when you accept less than idealism, less than your own individually established ideals, then you have taken the first step toward accepting less, one toward creating a vacuum of complacency and one that can only end in disillusionment.  Are we as present-day Americans "caught" in this first step downward toward this disillusionment?  I believe strongly that it is important to our existence, that we as human beings understand that we are but a reflection, a shadow, of what we seek in life and ultimately what we "accept" in life.  That is, if we "accept" less, we become less.

We are in this world, particularly as Americans, literally limited only by our self, by our thoughts, and by that which we fear.  So what is it, with all of this freedom and opportunity, that prevents anyone of us from altering the wobbly path and reaching for this sacred ideal?  It is what we lack in America today, and possibly in the world as a whole; the spirit of sacrifice and the passion to make a stand for that ideal--even in the stark face of dolor and despair.  It is within this spirit and passion that I wrote A Step Back.

So, take this journey with me because I am no different than you.  We are the same you and I.   Whether your skin is black, white, yellow, red, or green; whether your nationality is American, British, Australian, Thai, Indian, Russian, Namibian, Nigerian or Brazilian; whether you worship Christ, Buddha, Mohammed, or no entity at all, we are all the same.   I grew to understand this perspective more each day of the trip, and with it, I grew to understand my responsibility to share this experience in personal growth.  We are each special, unique creations, and in this most basic element, we are and always will be, the same.  It is from this sameness that we must begin, begin the process of discovering who we are, our purpose here, establish a collective ideal, and reach out with the passion and spirit which makes us uniquely human to create the explosive fireworks of our existence.

MY MISSION STATEMENT

The process of self-discovery is a hard and exhausting one, for it is an active evolution of the person, of the soul.  It is staring at the mirror of your being, confronting the dark side of who you are and challenging it.  It is looking deeply into the eyes of your worst inner fears and rousing the passion from within to fight back those pervasive, crushing fears.  It is, ironically, within this struggle, this confrontation, that you discover your true character, and ultimately the heart of your inner being.  That is, who you are. 

I embarked upon this path, I listened to my inner voice and contrary to every societal notion to do otherwise, sold my possessions and accepted the challenge to discover my self.  I still today don't know who I am, but I do know that I've begun the process from which I will one day understand, I will one day, truly know the most basic of our lingering questions, I will know who I am.  Although I am an extremely private person, I realized that part of discovering who I am is breaking down those barriers, to reach out and share my lessons, my path of growth, and most importantly, my heart with all those gracious enough to listen.  I have accepted my "underlying pattern" in this universe, and it has led me here...to a place I never envisioned, a place I never wanted to be, a place where I have given up everything I own, my career, and a year of my life to write this book.  It's been a lonely place, one where I now sit absolutely broke, where I have sacrificed my pride and dignity for this destined path, one where the walls of my own society seem to be caving in on me endlessly coaxing me to fall back into its hapless grip, to fall into place.  Simply, I have given it all up to bring you these words. 

Why?   Because in a world growing more hostile, more uncivil, more callous, more reclusive, a world we are so reluctant to bear the weight of one another, I feel that it is my duty, my obligation, to reach out, and no matter the consequence, bear the weight of caring, searching for hope, and making a stand for what I believe in.  So, this is my stand.  For I now realize that without that bond, that bond of humanity, we are nothing more than primitive animals taking up space on this precious planet.  Indeed, it is a profound and penetrating realization.  We must all understand that we are all the same, and in this, is our bond of uniqueness, our ever elusive bond of not only being human, but quite possibly, our bond with an entity greater than even our collective selves.  Knowing this, therefore, I refuse to give up, to give in to the mounting pressures which persuade each one of us each day to turn our backs on one another, for it is simply to deny the value of our collective existence.  I also realize that part of who I am and part of who I strive to be, is bound within this "struggle"; that is, to fight with every last breath of my being against this tidal wave of selfish personal desire and materialism, a state which holds each one of us hostage to a world devoid of purity, of faith, of love, of principles, of spirituality; yes of those qualities which actually make us special, those qualities which make us Human Beings.

So, by placing this book here on the net, I am giving this book to you piece by piece, and with it I am giving you piece by piece, my heart.  I give to you everything that is an expression of me, everything that presently constitutes my existence.  In return, I ask nothing.   It is not the words which hold deep personal significance for me, it is not the year of labor put into this book, it is not even the sacrifices endured to write the book itself which are significant to me, but rather, the act.  For I am no more than you, no more than your thoughts, emotions, and spirit.   I am merely human, and just like you, I don't have any profound answers or global solutions, and I don't pretend to possess them or even believe that I am necessarily "right."  I offer in this book only a path toward what you yourself is capable, and likewise, what we as human beings are capable of collectively.  No more, no less.  My solemn mission is to take "a step back" and merely offer you, individual to individual, person to person, human being to human being, a piece of my existence without a single thing in return.

Pb Fisher

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Have Taken "A Step Back"

Date First Published:  02/10/99

Last Updated:  08/05/07

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