June 28, 2024, via email
thekateawakening.substack.com
There’s an episode of The Twilight Zone that has haunted me since childhood. In it, Henry Bemis, an average dude with a mundane life but a deep passion for reading, faces a harrowing fate that still chills me to the core. He loved reading so much, in fact, that the real world and human interactions were, to him, just nuisances he had to deal with until he could get back to the warm embrace of his books.
He even began to detest his wife, his boss, and his fellow man for being the obstacles keeping him from spending his every moment reading. One day, while eating lunch inside the vault of the bank where he works, an H-bomb is detonated, you know, as will happen from time to time.
The bank vault has kept Henry safe, but when he emerges, he realizes there are no other survivors. At first he is overcome with grief and readies to kill himself with a revolver he finds. Just as he’s just about to pull the trigger, though, he sees the ruins of a public library off in the distance.
Henry is beside himself.
Finally, all the books he can read, and not a single person left to distract him. All his sorrows about being the last man on earth are at once replaced with pure joy and excitement. Can you guess what happens next?
Since this thing came out in the 1950s I’m not going to bother with a spoiler alert here.
He bends over to pick up a book, stumbles, and steps on his [flipping] glasses.
I have never recovered from this abomination, nor have I forgiven the writers. Of all the messed up horror movies I’ve seen in my life, nothing has plagued me more than this particular episode of a mid-century, black and white TV show that came on Sunday afternoons after The 3 Stooges.
I, too, felt like I had been kicked in the spectacles.
I relate to Henry because, if left up to me, I would pretty much only ever want to read. Forget eating or sleeping or leaving my house or my pajamas, I would read every day all day if I could. But, unlike Mr. Squints, I love to read because it actually connects me to my fellow man. I read to understand the profound minds of history, to share their wisdom, and to fuel my soul. I read to feel my humanity.
They say “there’s nothing new under the sun,” and this seems to be true even when it comes to the human experience. Since the beginning of recorded history, man seems to have toiled with the same problems and existential questions, and somehow we seem no closer to the answers now in the 2024th year of our Lord than we were back then, and, in some senses, might be even further away.
But something that seems to connect us all is the desire to seek a deeper meaning. And while our earthly minds may never find the absolute answers of the universe, what brought us here, or where we’re going with total certainty, I believe it is within our reach to at least answer the question of “why” that is unique to our own individual lives.
It is my personal belief that every single human being is born with a purpose and a mission that only they can fulfill. Just as pure, white light passes through a prism separating into all the colors of the rainbow, each individual’s respective light is embodied by a distinct hue that is uniquely theirs. Every individual carries within them a specific set of talents, experiences, and perspectives that shape not only their individual journey, but also equips each person to affect and contribute to the world in a way no one else can. This underscores the profound truth that every human life is equally precious and irreplaceable, even if we may struggle to perceive their value from our own limited perspective.
I believe I found my mission when I decided to dive head first into the truth movement, seeking answers for myself and publicly sharing my findings. In the first year of my “awakening” alone I read over 53 books. This might not sound all that impressive, but it was quite a contrast from my prior record of about 1-2 smut novels per year. I think when you finally awaken to your mission, it’s almost like something begins working through you that makes you shed the hard shell of limitations you once had. It has been invigorating and terrifying at times, but also immensely rewarding. I want to help others do and have the same.
I’ve gathered a wealth of knowledge from the wisdom of some of history’s greatest thinkers, and a little from my own personal experience. My hope is that these insights will provide guidance and encouragement to anyone seeking their own purpose. This will be the focus of Part 2 of this article here on Substack, and it will be a recurring theme in my work, including my live shows on Rumble.
With the obscene amount of reading I do, I’ve amassed a treasure trove of quotes from various sources that resonate with me and help me make sense of the world. I doubt I can say anything that hasn’t been articulated more eloquently by someone else before me. So, rather than trying to claim these timeless thoughts as my own, I’ll use these quotations to fuel the discussions I want to have with my fellow man. That’s at least one piece of what I feel is my purpose in all this. Through my love of reading and meaningful dialog, I want to act as a conduit helping people connect to what will elevate their spirits and empower them to thrive.
I hope you’ll find something here that ignites a spark in you, driving you toward your greatest potential, offering strength when you need it, or simply letting you know you’re not alone in what you’re experiencing. Remember, you can’t give up, because there’s something important you were put here to do.