Why Am I Here? A Handbook for The Human Experience

By Mike Marable

When we travel to another country we often plan our trip by using guidebooks and maps. We figure out in advance where we want to go, create an itinerary for our journey and decide what sites we want to enjoy. We may take time to learn the customs of the natives and figure out if there are any dangers to avoid. After all, to not plan could cause us miss out on some really fascinating adventures and waste precious time.

This also happens to be what we do when we come here to explore the human experience, except most of us don’t consciously remember the plans we created for our visit. Part of the reason for this is by design. The earth adventure involves being fully immersed in the experience and requires that we partially forget who we really are. This creates a unique learning opportunity. Earth is part school and part amusement park!

This book is for those who are feeling pulled to remember and are starting to seek answers to life’s big questions like...Why Am I Here?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mike Marable
• Release date: Jun 11, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370878284

Book preview

Chapter 1

Big Questions

Behind every problem, there's a question trying to ask itself. Behind every question, there's an answer trying to reveal itself. Behind every answer, there's an action trying to take place. Behind every action, there's a way of life trying to be born.

~Michael Beckwith

Where do I come from? Why I am I here? Where do I go when I die?

These are the big questions that we all ask at some point in our lives. This book is primarily about self-discovery, the kind that comes once someone starts looking for the answers to these specific questions. There is some energy contained in asking them and they can trigger a reaction from the universe in response. When sincerely invoked, the results can vary. It might be a gentle push with a comfortable ride to the finish or it may open a doorway to a wild adventure that at times will shake up your life. It is just like the Rolling Stones song says:

You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you’ll find, you get what you need.

Children may ask where they come from and are provided a biology-based response from their parents. It could be their questions are not fully understood. They may be asking something more profound and we aren't prepared to answer because we have not dipped deeper ourselves.

As adults we become so entranced within the cultural construct and often define ourselves within the boundaries of what we do for a living, where we reside and our family origins—our social standing denotes our value on Earth. We further define ourselves by our ethnicity, gender and affiliations with certain groups—like our religion. These are the answers we give when asked about who we are.

In the early part of our lives we are busy establishing ourselves within the fabric of society and evaluate our status based on a comparison with others. This is currently the dominate state of mind for much of humanity. This is understandable since just maintaining the basic necessities of life; food, shelter, work and family can take up all of a person's time and energy. American Psychologist Abraham Maslow described the hierarchy of needs that must be fulfilled for many to be able to free the mind for higher brain function and allow for what he referred to as self-actualization. In this state an individual has engaged part of the brain called the neocortex, the most recent evolutionary addition to the cerebral cortex. It is the part of the brain that questions and seeks to understand the world outside of its immediate orbit. Though we all have moments of enlightened thinking, for much of humanity it is the lower brain functioning that dominates their actions and controls their world view. Within the limbic brain, and particularly the amygdala portion, are physiological remnants of our ancient ancestor's essential survival mechanisms. These structures, also referred to as the reptilian brain, served us well it seems, evidenced by the fact that we are still here. The dominance of the lower brain, however, is what causes us to group into tribes for greater safety, fear those who are different from ourselves, and to some extent, keep us captive to our fearful emotions. The dramatic rise of health issues due to stress are primarily a result of our over-reaction to perceived threats in the world. The media, and people who seek power, understand how to reach our reptilian brain and use that knowledge to influence our decision making. When it comes to a choice between our need for safety and anything else, it's no contest—safety usually wins.

Much of humanity seems to be stuck in either survival mode or is resting in a state of complacency. The impetus to interrupt the status-quo is generally lacking. Things may not be great, but they are good enough. One of the incentives for a more evolved thinking may come out of necessity. The human population of the planet is under the real threat of mass extinction and it could include us humans at some point if we don’t take action.

Scientists agree with 98% certainty that global warming is real and is caused by human activities on this planet. There is evidence that if we don't act with a keen sense of urgency on climate change, an uncertain outcome for all inhabitants exists. Lower brain thinking is not going to get us out of this predicament. It will take the loftier thinking of the neocortex that promotes states of cooperation and empathy to effect change. People of disparate cultural groups, even those who don't consider one-another allies, will be required to work together to resolve this challenge. The selflessness that defines a state of self-actualization, that being able to compassionately think of the plight of others, will allow for the type of cooperative response that can result in positive change. It may be possible that feeling the emotional rewards of such actions can open up the path for mass advancement to an even more expansive stage of evolutionary thinking, self-transcendence. This state is defined by what might be called spiritual ideas, such as considering oneself an integral part of the universe, that we are all connected and what happens to any one of us affects the whole.

Chapter 2

Our Search for Answers

When we come to the planet we are not given a handbook on how to navigate through the earth experience effectively. That is one of the purposes of this book, to help those who have chosen the earth experience to understand the rules of the game — so to speak. Part of the adventure is to figure it out. Like any good mystery or adventure novel, the clues are presented along the way to find the treasure or solve the mystery. The treasure map is parsed out and the clues come in the form of symbols in our dreams. The amnesia that prevents us from remembering who we are is also in play when it comes to figuring out how to navigate through the world and discover all of our abilities. We are all provided a tool box with exactly what we need for our life journey, no matter how it might appear. No one is at a disadvantage when it comes to accomplishing the mission and living out the story. What might appear to be an advantage or a liability due to physical attributes, social rank, race, illness, disabilities or wealth are all illusory when it comes to what we might come to experience and learn.

We actually have all the instructions; it is just that they are purposely hidden in the least obvious place—inside of us. Everything is right there, waiting for us to unlock with the knowledge that is contained within the deeper mind, the part of us that connects to all knowledge, hiding in plain sight. It is also coded in our cells and programmed in our DNA. The keys can be discovered as we learn to love, find compassion for those who need it most, cross a threshold, take bold action toward our purpose and face our fears. When we start to ask the big questions, consciously or unconsciously, we are actually asking to begin the process of remembering where we hid them. To the degree that we are earnest in our search for answers and the intention behind them, we learn where they are. This in the essence of the process of waking up to our potential of who we really are behind the facade. Becoming conscious of this allows us to use the knowledge to fulfill our selected purpose. Much of what we think we are learning anew is recollection. When we ask the questions, the answers are provided—always. We may not recognize the response because they do not come in the manner we expect, or are subtle. It could also be that we are not ready to accept the answers that