The final entry in the chapter entitled, “Confucius” in My travels with Lieh Tzu. Conveying that the decision having been made to move on to places you had previously not considered. That what you were doing back in Massachusetts was simply returning to what you thought was representative of new beginnings but turned out to be a reconning of something far greater. That truly embodying the essence of that journey requires a letting go… a leaving behind who you thought you were to become someone far greater.
Storytelling and writing share the common purpose of preserving collective memories across generations, capturing not just our own experiences but also the stories of others, ensuring that our lives and narratives are shared and remembered. There’s a balance to be found that shows we can’t best serve ourselves and others by being either a withdrawn sage or overly altruistic, completely devoted to the welfare of others. Discovering our role, or a connection to this cosmic and universal background, helps focus less on individual emotions and more on the timeless, ever-present aspects of universal life.
Some memories serve the larger purpose of being dealt with appropriately, then put away and not repeated. The idea that “we reap what we sow”, is ingrained in cultures around the world. It may be called what we see in the I Ching, yin verse yang, cause and effect, or even karma. But it is the “dealing with our past actions or inactions” that may require our eventual attention. It’s when we give ourselves the opportunity to make things right for all concerned that allows our spiritual growth to move forward.
Quantum physics teaches us that our memories and spirit are eternal. Higher spiritual beings have always shared this wisdom, especially ancient shamans who, by observing the stars, recognized that everything under heaven has a greater purpose. It’s like returning to the ethos as the essence or spirit, the underlying sentiment better than before. The desire to attain unlimited universal life is something that pervades all things under heaven, not just humanity. Meditation, ritual, and prayer serve as tools to connect with the eternal vibrations that everything in nature is meant to share.
Our memories are meant to become the timeless music of the ages, urging us to pause from our earthly pursuits and truly listen. They carry the creative vibrations of eternity, forming the foundation for rediscovering our own personal journey. This universal sound, the tonal essence of music, reflects the infinite nature of life itself that lead us to a final reckoning.
My travels with Lieh Tzu / Interpolations along the Way
Chapter Four – Confucius
69. Forever leaving yourself behind
Forever leaving yourself behind with no attachments to speak of. Always forgetting 
things while you just leave them behind. When small, always losing your glasses. Never paying attention to where you set them down. As with a BB gun lost while on a journey around the lake in Lamar with Danny Johnston when you were ten. You set it down on the ground somewhere and left it behind.
Later receiving a twenty-two rifle for Christmas where you were sixteen and shooting a woodpecker. Feeling great sadness. Putting the gun away never to be shot again. Just leaving it behind.
Becoming interested in politics. Campaigning for Jimmy Carter in Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois in 1976. Getting memorabilia then forgetting it, leaving it behind. Later running for state representative, winning, and feeling great things that you may accomplish with a campaign slogan “He cares”. Then losing my father, my stepfather, and my election two years later. Tremendous loss leaving all behind.
Working on the west side helping neighbors help themselves. With no concern for salary. VISTA volunteers making as much or more than I. Doing important things. Then 
after four years leaving all, you can do is done and it’s time to go as you are forever leaving yourself behind. Never concerned with fitting in with those around you. Always seen as different. Always quiet with hardly ever anything to say. Just remaining quiet. Without the need or desire to wonder why.
Always knowing that you are on the edge of something beyond yourself. Beyond time. Getting a job in a city should last forever. Leaving you and Marie secure. Then losing it as if you have finally left behind who you thought you were forever. Never to be seen again.
Finally, without identity. Being where you are in time, but not making any appearances, just the same. In the end you have just awakened, as you continue to leave yourself behind. 4/13/95
Number sixty-nine of one hundred fifty-eight entries.
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