When you are genuine and whole, you are largely unaffected by the accepted beliefs and psychological frameworks that society embraces. Then you stand alone. Such a person is blessed. Then one sees beyond the fragmentary and fallacious acceptances, beliefs, and assumptions. Then one actually thinks (and questions) beyond blind dependence.
Society tells you that you are in charge of your own thoughts. Society does not suggest that thoughts make the thinker and that the thinker is a product of thought. (By the way, what one implies here does not negate eternity.) Society predominantly endorses fragmentation and friction, not wholeness and deep compassion. Society endorses (and teaches) dominance by the self. Society sees — and encourages you to similarly see — life and death as two separate things, not as what is together as one, as a larger, beautiful whole. Society encourages you to see with distance, and it encourages you to see with distinct borders and separation. You know that society of course; it’s what is continually falling into widespread disorder and chaos.
Please look beyond the fragmentation that was poured into you. Ironically, nourishing the isolated self — as so many narcissists do — negates real security and the understanding of sweet eternity.
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 
I know you use the word eternity a lot. Can you tell me what you mean by the use of this word? The reason I ask is because I live in an evolving if not universe, then a planet whose civilization is collapsing.. five extinctions and another upon us.. returning us to another beginning. I thought of you yesterday on my rain walk – we are flooding in early March – flooded cellars and bulging rivers – anyway all the finest/ tiniest lichen were shining brightly on my rain walk -some the size of a pinhead and I wondered what you would do with such natural wonder…
I do not now like to reveal the nature of eternity to others. This is because i feel that it is up to the individual to find out, have insights, and discover (about that aspect of life). This is how i feel about it (because people can use information about it wrongly). I will say that insights about the nature of eternity came to me a day or two after going through what may have been a satori or nirvana type of experience. I am sure that a few others have had similar things happen.
Lichen are awesome! The vitamin D (in my organic vitamins) are made from lichen. 😊
Of course Tom, I respect your privacy but was curious because you use the word so often!
Yes, thank you, Sara! I refer to it often in the blog because i don’t want people to equate dissolving the psychological “I” or “me” with dissolving or ending perpetuity (i.e., eternity)… which would be a reasonable (possile) causal effect/conclusion (but which would be wrong). The “I” is just a psychological reference point that is usually limiting and restricting; it need not exist for wisdom that is lasting (and not so limited).
Ah, I get it!! Dissolving the psychological “I” (whatever they are!) is not the same thing… this cause and effect thinking is linear – and just one/the human? way of experiencing time..One way animals/birds etc seem to experience time is as cyclic – day and night, changing seasons. Are there other ways? or are they always in the moment? Like Einstein, I do believe that time incorporates past present future and all somehow occur at once – though it is impossible for me to wrap my mind around or internalize this belief unless it’s through dreams, so called timeless mystical experiences, foreshadowing….Life is very mysterious…Eventually all my thinking and being ends up back in this place of absolute unknowing.
Unknowing is cool, in it’s own way, Sara… but a lot of people assume that they are involved with unknowing when — all the while — they are consciously or unconsciously carrying around all kinds of society-induced assumptions. With the Einstein (i.e., block universe) thing, you are close to what is occurring. May i suggest reading Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman very carefully… but if you figure much out, i advise not openly telling it to others.
Life has a lot of mysteries. That’s the real beauty of it! 😉