Tag: Perspective

The Fourth and Fifth Perspectives

Human understanding evolves by taking positions.
At first, reality is personal. Experience belongs to me. Then it becomes relational. There is you. Then objective. There is the world. These perspectives organize life, language, and survival. They also quietly assume something deeper: a vantage point from which all of this is known.

The fourth perspective emerges when that assumption is examined.

At this level, identity no longer anchors experience. Thoughts, sensations, and events appear without belonging to a self. Awareness is no longer located behind the eyes or inside the body. Experience is revealed as happening within an impersonal field. Nothing is owned. Nothing is central. Knowing continues, yet no knower can be found.

This recognition often carries clarity, peace, and coherence. Reality appears seamless. Distinctions soften without disappearing. Functioning remains intact, but the sense of authorship dissolves. Many traditions stop here and mistake this discovery for the final truth.

That pause matters.

The fifth perspective does not deepen the fourth.
It removes the need for it.

The idea of an underlying field, awareness, or witnessing presence is seen as another explanatory structure. Useful, elegant, even beautiful, but unnecessary. The question of what everything appears within loses relevance. No ground is required. No container is implied. No reference point is privileged.

Reality no longer needs to be described as nondual.
It no longer needs to be described at all.

This is not an experience. It does not arrive. Nothing stabilizes. Nothing collapses. The framework that seeks a final position simply fails to apply. Language continues to function, but without metaphysical commitment. Perspectives still appear, but none are taken as true in themselves.

The fourth perspective reveals that there is no centre.
The fifth reveals that even that revelation was optional.

This does not result in indifference or withdrawal. Action continues. Care continues. Creativity continues. Meaning appears where it always did; within context, relationship, and response. What falls away is the assumption that reality needs a final explanation to be complete.

Ultimate reality is not hidden behind experience.
It is not accessed by climbing to a higher vantage.
It does not require awareness, unity, or silence to validate itself.

What remains is remarkably ordinary.
Life unfolds. Language speaks. Understanding happens.
Nothing needs to be added. Nothing needs to be removed.

The difference lies only here:
no perspective is mistaken for what is real.

Morgan O. Smith

AI for Wellness and Spirituality Summit

February 9 & 10, 2026

https://aiforwellnessandspirituality.com/mosm

Walking Beyond the Self

Expanding the Horizons of Perspective

Most human conflict is rooted in the inability to step outside the narrow confines of the self. We tend to move through the world tethered to a singular point of view, unable to grasp that reality shifts depending on who is looking. Perspective is not fixed; it unfolds in layers, from the egocentric stance of “me and mine,” through the ethnocentric loyalty of “us and ours,” into the broader realms of worldcentric care for humanity, and ultimately the kosmocentric embrace of all beings and existence itself.

When our awareness stops at the egocentric, we see others only as extensions of ourselves; or worse, as threats to what we hold dear. At the ethnocentric level, we expand slightly, but compassion remains conditional, bounded by tribe, religion, race, or nation. Yet the real flowering of human consciousness emerges once we realize that every being, regardless of sex, class, culture, or creed, carries within them a mirror of our own existence.

To recognize yourself in another is not simply an ethical exercise; it is an ontological revelation. The more deeply you understand that the same fears, desires, and vulnerabilities pulse through all lives, the less room remains for judgment. Hatred fades not because you suppress it, but because understanding transforms it. Even the figure we call “devil” becomes less monstrous when we glimpse the fractured angel hidden inside.

Imagine what collective life would feel like if this capacity for expanded perspective became the norm rather than the exception. Entire systems of oppression, exploitation, and alienation would dissolve under the weight of genuine empathy. Politics would no longer be about “sides” but about solutions; communities would no longer divide over difference but celebrate the very diversity that teaches us new ways of being human.

To walk in anyone’s shoes is more than a metaphor. It is the necessary step toward becoming fully human. The journey from ego to cosmos is not only possible, it is imperative. The future depends not on technological advancement alone, but on whether we can evolve into beings capable of holding multiple perspectives at once, anchored in compassion and guided by wisdom.

Morgan O. Smith

Get Your Free Copy of My Book, Bodhi in the Brain!

https://subscribepage.io/oTSZQu

Everything is Spirit in Disguise

The Power of Perspective

In the vastness of our universe, we often find ourselves lost in the mundane, the mechanical, and the linear progression of everyday life. But what if, beneath this superficial layer of existence, everything is, in essence, spirit in disguise?

The spiritual world is not a separate realm, isolated from our day-to-day life, but is instead intertwined with every moment, every thought, and every object we encounter. When you hold a pebble in your hand, do you see just a stone? Or do you see millions of years of Earth’s history, the force of nature, and the energy that pulses within? Such perspectives shift our perception from seeing a mere rock to recognizing a spiritual entity that tells a grand story of our universe.

Every encounter, every experience, and every object has the potential to be a spiritual lesson. The person you pass by on the street, the food you consume, the song that touches your soul – all are manifestations of spirit, merely wearing different disguises. Our challenge is to peel back these layers, to see beyond the mask, and to recognize the spirit in everything.

This perspective does not demean the value of the material world but instead enriches it. By choosing to view the world through a spiritual lens, we cultivate gratitude, reverence, and a deeper connection with everything and everyone around us. The coffee you drink in the morning is not just a beverage, but a testament to the intricate balance of nature, human effort, and the magic of existence.

In essence, the choice is yours. You can continue to view the world as a series of random events, or you can embrace the idea that everything is spirit in disguise. By adopting the latter, you not only deepen your understanding of the world but also uncover the spiritual lessons that lie hidden in plain sight.

In the end, the spiritual world is not some distant realm. It’s right here, in every breath, in every heartbeat, and in every gaze. All it requires is a shift in perspective.

Morgan O.  Smith

Yinnergy Meditation & My Book, Bodhi in the Brain…Available Now!

https://linktr.ee/morganosmith

Walking in Their Shoes with Our Heads in the Clouds

The human experience is a delicate dance between the tangible and the ethereal, between the ground we walk upon and the vast expanse of the skies. Each of us carves our path based on experiences, dreams, and our unique worldview. The quest to understand others while seeking enlightenment is our shared journey’s essence.

To walk in another’s shoes is not merely an act of empathy; it is an act of profound courage. This simple metaphor, often used to encourage understanding and compassion, requires us to momentarily abandon our deeply entrenched perspectives to wholly embrace another’s. Such a leap challenges the core of our identity and nudges us closer to universal truths.

On the other hand, having our heads in the clouds doesn’t just allude to daydreaming or being out of touch with reality. Instead, it signifies our innate yearning for transcendence and enlightenment. In the clouds, we find inspiration, creativity, and even the answers to life’s most perplexing questions.

Merging these two ideas, we are asked to ground ourselves in the realities of others while also seeking a higher truth. This beautiful interplay ensures that while we strive for ideals and wisdom, we never lose touch with the human stories unfolding around us.

In our endeavour to walk in another’s shoes, we may realize that the ground beneath our feet, though different in texture and terrain, feels strikingly similar in emotion and experience. And as we reach skyward, we understand that the same clouds of aspiration, doubt, joy, and sorrow float above us all.

So, the next time you find yourself firmly rooted in your beliefs and perspectives, remember to look up and dream but also to look across and truly see the person next to you. For in the balance between grounded reality and lofty dreams lies the essence of a life richly lived.

Morgan O.  Smith

Yinnergy Meditation & My Book, Bodhi in the Brain…Available Now!

https://linktr.ee/morganosmith