Every Verse of The Universe.

FEAR NOTHING

The Christian extremists at Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts cried out for attention.  With their signs seemingly screaming "Damnation to All" they proudly stood and loudly spoke.  After spending a couple hours on Saturday in deep discussion with a sign holder calling himself Brother Robert, I wondered how I too could contribute my thoughts and share with the public.  I asked a few policemen about the sign-holders.  They told me it is all freedom of speech and a permit is not needed.  Good news indeed.  Knowing that balance was necessary and another voice needed to be heard, I made my own sign for Sunday.  The day god rested.

After making my way downtown and walking to the spot of yesterday's discussion, I was there.  Brother Robert was there.  It was only us and I was ready to spread the love.  Ready to talk and be engaging.  Ready to listen and not be afraid.

Photo from Jon Clay

Standing along side this sixty-something-year-old man with his confused messages of judgment and criticism, I was at first nervous, my legs and arms shaking.  Holding my sign with it's essences of pureness, love and freedom, I soon found myself filled with power.  As people came in for pictures or high fives, I was emboldened; Brother Robert was harried as I became more comfortable.

Photo from Terry Johnston

Eventually people started to come to our area and talk.  He attracted more people than I, but the reasons didn't quite add up.  I pondered why people were not coming to me.  My sign proclaiming "Love Will Set You Free" - (quoting) Every Verse of the Universe & "Fear Nothing" on the other side, seemed to represent simple answers to the 'bigger' questions we ask ourselves everyday.  Yet they approached the man with the sign reading "Fear God" & the vest embroidered with "All Sinners Will Be Destroyed" and Bible quotes to correlate his point of view.

I was mentioned and pointed at a few times in his discussions with others as I stood mere feet away.  He brought up a bit of our Saturday discussion to a few people saying about me, "that man is damned and empty.  He is going to hell."  Unfazed, I asked again, as I did on Saturday, why he will not spend the time with me to save my soul.  If he has the chance to affect one person by furthering them to perceived absolute salvation, why does he now ignore me after passing his judgment of damnation?  I am beyond saving?  It would be much preferred if he shares his story.  Get the horse to water.  He will be thirsty soon, but come back and drink with the horse.  Brother Robert had proclaimed numerous times that he will "not fish where there are no bites to be had."  I had been judged, juried and executed in an instant.

When asked by a passer-by if he and I were 'together', I said "We are closer than he realizes."  Brother Robert guffawed his disagreement.

As I caught the eyes of people reading my sign I would shout "It's the truth" and "It can be so simple if allow it to be."  So simple and beautiful.

Many people stopped to thank me for offering a voice of reason.  A few came closer to talk about their beliefs while asking about my sign.  I listened, I talked; we agreed, we disagreed.  They were respectful conversations that offered insight as to how people arrive at some base and personal beliefs.  The arguments then unravel a bit as did some of the Occupy Wall Street folk's.  When I would question Brother Robert's dismissal of me or argue against the Bible, people would get frustrated and further expose their lack of knowledge.  I talked less and listened more.  People sometimes tend to make a case against themselves if given the chance.  After an hour or so, Brother Robert decided to move down the street to rejoin his group.  I followed.

Occupy Wall Street Vid on YouTube.

During the last few hours of Festival, people tended to gather around the others in Brother Robert's group.  There were more signs and more people.  Suddenly it was not a one-on-one, but only me representing a very small minority of thought amongst a group of zealous Christians.  I wondered why a sports fan was designated for eternal damnation as one sign claimed.  Or why us "Rock and Rollers"  must be just sinning it up all day.  I was unfortunately unenlightened.

I stood tall, quoting their signs to them while correlating their words to my simple message.

"We are all truth."  "We are all the light."  "We are all one."

There was finally some ridicule from someone due to my Slayer shirt.  "Thank you," I said.  "Your thought reminds us that you are unable to believe I represent love.  Because of a perceived difference that is purely physical, the clothing I wear, you judge me to not be a child of god?  You must label and judge me to keep your strength.  Your view that I can not be enlightened due to that quick judgment helps further my point about all this confusion that together we must address."  I was ready to talk more but had been dismissed after extending my invitation for further discussion.

Towards the close of the weekend Brother Robert listened for a few minutes as I spoke to a group of people.  I talked about how one person surviving a day is our collective sought after miracle and can supply us with enough energy to keep us all alive.  I talked about the energy that we all have and how it can be shaped and used by others to fulfill themselves and gain knowledge.  We can all apply what we learn to our own current situation.  We all survive.  We all help each other.  He seemed to nod along to a few things and finally pulled me aside for a tete-a-tete.  He insisted that one of us must be mistaken. There is black and there is white.  Good and evil.  Heaven and hell.  Right and wrong.  We agreed to disagree.

I told him that regardless of who is correct, I would see him again soon.  He begged to differ.  

As I was leaving, a couple mentioned that I attracted less people because I was telling the truth, the crowd favorite, the Goliath.  Let's all hope that is the case.

My base points are simple.  

1. Don't be afraid.  People are afraid of death first and foremost.  We want to stay on this earth because of the pleasures found to exist.  You are already free.  Do not forget that.  It gets better.


2. Realize that all emotions and physical reactions are a manifestation of either Fear or Love.  These are the only true emotions that exist and figure in everything we do.  The five senses give us the tools to awaken the rest of our self and expand.




Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss consciousness and spiritual and mental freedom.  I welcome all comments. 


Ryan