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Odysseus went on a trip. So did Bilbo, Frodo,
Jesus, Thomas Jefferson, and Christa McAuliffe. Larry Darrell, James Tiberius Kirk, Siddhartha. Lizzie Magie, Charles Darrow, Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla. Theodore Roosevelt. Frances Hodgson Burnett. Bathsheba. The Queen of Sheba. Solomon. You may or may not know much, or anything, about their particular trips. You do not, in my opinion, necessarily need to. You would be wise, at least I think you would be wise, however, to know about yours. For you, surely, are on a trip.
You are on a trip even if you, for the whole of your life, have lived and stayed in one small town. The earth spins with you on it; the earth circles the sun; our galaxy is being hurled through the universe. We cannot help but be on a trip. Change, modification, alteration, the new and differently combined occur whether we want them to, or not. Whether we see or are consciously aware of them, or not. We do not stand still even when we think we are. We are, all of us, travelers through space and time. In that movement, because we are all moving externally, and internally, with our breath and thoughts, we are, each of us, unavoidably exposed to/ participate in/ cause different experiences. I would say, I postulate, that we are a combination of those experiences. A mix. We are made up of them; and also more than only them. If you investigate LukeyoutheU, you will, most definitely, and consciously, be going on a trip. Even when, sometimes, in looking, reading, or listening, it seems like you are not. It is important to me, and I think for you, to be consciously aware that you are taking one. If you decide to continue with LyU, you will be like the person who took the photo at the top of this page. You will be on the LyU bus with no one immediately around or facing you; no one will see or know your thoughts. You can think anything. You will be on a bus taking you somewhere not yet known, by a driver not yet seen (me). By being on the bus, by looking into this website, you are taking the chance that some good may come from this part of your life's trip. You can, of course, always leave the website, go to another. You could also turn off your device. Like in the photo above, you are on the ride at this moment but the ride is wide open. There is window glass to protect you/ keep you in; and there is not. There is no ceiling above you, nothing to hold you here except your interest and/ or desire—two powerful and God-given, or nature-given, powers, depending on your perspective. You can, at any time, fly away. If you decide to ride, to investigate, in reading, looking, listening, and considering LukeyoutheU, you will be caused to think; and, thereby, you will change. You will no longer be who you once were. As is always the case on this trip of life as we continue to take it. The difference now: you are aware of it, and consciously choosing your ride. from the start, as in the rest of life, choices if you like to look visuals listen podcast ponder books get a lay of the land contents find out first about LyU about jake knight if you want to read on, scroll down and read on I have noticed that it is often the shouters, and the promisers of something entirely new, and the repeaters, who get most people's attention. In LyU, I try not to shout; I more often offer useful repackaging that the brand spanking new; I hope to not too often (but often enough) repeat. I am not trying to dazzle, inveigle, or hoodwink. I am trying to intrigue and invite. A few notes which can help on this trip. If you are unsure about a word or phrase's meaning, look it up. You are using a computer and can probably use that. A richer vocabulary can help lead to a richer mind. It brings an appreciation, at least it did for me, of nuances, and an avoidance of most absolutes. This is not to say that my word choice is always the better one. If you think I have misemployed a word, please let me know using the corrections link in the footer. There are, quite possibly, parts of LyU which will not appeal to you—one or more of the podcast's series, for instance. Okay! You know what not to consider further. I am trying, through the means that I see available to me, to relate means by which I myself find increasing Life. Not all of my routes may be useful to you. This trip, whichever trip you take on/ through LukeyoutheU, if ridden to the end, will take you only to the terminal, to the bus station, not to your final spot(s). From there, you can take a train; get in a car and drive; or a ride in a car; or walk. Or fly, if you are able. The point is: this is your life, which is a part of Life. I cannot/ will not live it for you. Will not tell you what to do. My intention is to assist you, to make suggestions, as I can, on your way. I have ideas about how I think life and Life is, certainly. I express them as convincingly as I can. But it is you who has the opportunity and responsibility of deciding about life for you. You are a marvelous being, dear reader. You have a body, a mind, physical senses, an awareness that there is more to know, more ways to grow, that you have yet experienced. In addition to who you currently are and what you already give to the world, you are a being who can know/ already knows that you are alive. You can know/ know that you exist and have importance. You, and I, and all, also partake in an even more astounding thing that our own lives. We are players in, active characters in, inexorably part of, Life. The decisions you make, yes you, dear reader, you, even now, have an impact on, sometimes visibly determine, your future, the futures of those in your orbit, and, even, The Future. Never let anyone take these awarenesses from you. I ask you in LyU to think BIG but not only think BIG but sometimes small, or Medium. Consider your own experiences and know they are not comprehensive; learn from history and the experience of others and know they are also not everything. It is my understanding/ belief that life presents itself in ways that can be useful, and good, if we allow/ make them to be. LukeyoutheU is not a faith but it does ask for faith: faith that you can be at least partially aware of your greater self. LyU does not request or require a specific or any religious belief. It does, sometimes, and, depending on the podcast series or book, often, present faith, belief, and specific religious beliefs because this is how life meets those particular presenters. I have strong opinions about how life can be made better for all. Physically and emotionally better. Better for oneself, for others, and for Life itself. Perhaps obviously, I believe this to be our best opportunity: to live life fully. Your next step is for you to decide. Life awaits and responds to your decisions acted out. There are many options before you. Three spring immediately to my mind: you can poke around the website, check out the website's contents, or listen to the podcast. more |