AL’s

Little Book of ReALity

ALan Marcus James Robbins

1
 Comic AL

This book has been

written for & dedicated to
all of you who are young at heart
(especially those with AL in your name)

Copyright © Alan Marcus James Robbins 2016

Published and printed online using Lulu.com

from whom further copies can be obtained.
Version 5 coloured PDF for Tablet/Mobile

Click here to
see animated
summary on
YouTube

2
 Contents

AL etc 4

COLUMNS OF TEXT LIKE THIS CONTAIN FACTS ABOUT THE EXTENT OF OUR AMAZING WORLD WHICH YOU CAN EASILY IMAGINE AND REMEMBER
Hello 5

OriginALity 6

InfluentiALity 7

MateriALity 8

MotionALity 9

DifferentiALity 10

IntegraALity 11

IntellectuALity 12

PhenomenALity 13

InternALity 14

RelationALity 15

Summary - balance 16

Perfect Love 17

Octaikon 18

What do I do now? 20

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 YOU CAN USE TIME TO IMAGINE LARGE NUMBERS: ONE MILLION SECONDS = 12 DAYS. ONE BILLION SECONDS = 30 YEARS. ONE TRILLION SECONDS = 30,000 YEARS
OR YOU CAN USE SPACE TO IMAGINE THEM: ONE MILLION MILLIMETRES = 1 KM. ONE BILLION MM = 1000 KM. ONE TRILLION MM = 25 TIMES AROUND THE WORLD.
This is AL,
penfriend of the writer,
who helps him to illustrate his ideas
about life, love and reALity.
The diagram behind AL is an Octaikon,
also brainchild of the author,
helping to integrate everybody’s ideas.
This text is “Phrase-Profiled”,
another of his crazy inventions,
aimed at making reading, writing
and presentation easier
for dyslexics and others.
Al’s creator effusively extends
many thanks to everyone,
especially his beloved wife,
children, friends and
his own Creator
whose patience and help
have enabled him to
think, write
and draw
up to this
point
♡

Alan Marcus James Robbins

Oxford
St. Valentine’s Day
14th February 2016

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 Hello!

YOU COULD SQUASH ALL THE WORLD'S POPULATION OF 7,400,000,000 (7.4 BILLION) ONTO THE ISLE OF WIGHT (OR NYC) (35Km X 20Km). THA T'S 10 PER SQ.M
SANSKRIT HAS 96 WORDS FOR LOVE; ANCIENT PERSIAN HAS 80, AND GREEK THREE. ENGLISH HAS ONLY ONE, WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO EXPRESS THE IDEA!
IF YOU COULD SPREAD THE WHOLE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE OVER A FULLSIZED FOOTBALL PITCH, THEN ALL OF HUMAN HISTORY COULD BE HELD IN YOUR HAND.

In need of a reality check?

Well, here’s one in this short booklet!
I want to show you a way to be kinder,
more tolerant and balanced in life,
by learning about the reality of
the wonderful world in which we live.
I think that practical reality has
ten attributes or fracALities.
I invented that word
(it’s made up of fractal and faculty)
because we are talking about
powers that repeat themselves
at all levels of existence,
be they physical, psychic or spiritual.
Now, a key question in life is this:
What gives us
motivation, purpose,
fulfilment or happiness?
You might say it’s when we can “love”.
OK – love is a tricky word
so here’s my definition:
“Love is the desire for something
perceived good for ourselves
and/or someone else”.
I think love comes in six types:
NEED-loves are essential for life
wish-loves would really help us
want-loves are naughty but nice
drug-loves - we can’t help wanting
gift-loves are what others give to us
perfect-love is just what we NEED,
no strings attached!
How do we truly love, then?
I think it’s when we use
our ten fracALities in a balanced way
to meet our needs and those of others.
So I’ll now describe these
attributes as complementary pairs
showing how each engenders in us
the many needs that
only perfect love can fulfil.

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 OriginALity

IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 107 BILLION PEOPLE HAVE EVER LIVED. THIS MEANS THAT THERE ARE 15 WHO HAVE DIED, FOR EVERY ONE OF US WHO IS NOW LIVING.
IF YOU IMAGINE THE EARTH AS ONE DAY OLD, THEN LIFE STARTED AT 4 IN THE MORNING BUT HUMAN HISTORY ONLY BEGAN AT ABOUT ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT.
IF YOU IMAGINE THE AGE OF THE UNIVERSE AS ONE YEAR, THEN THE LONGEST HUMAN LIFE WOULD BE OVER IN JUST THE BLINK OF AN EYE (THAT IS 1/4 SEC.)

is a good attribute to start with.

Everything has an origin,
a time when it was created.
In the case of our universe,
according to many scientists,
that was the Big Bang.
Something out of “nothing”.
Particles became atoms.
Stars were formed.
Some exploded, cooking up
and creating new elements.
Others imploded
forming black holes
and possibly new universes.
Around stars (our sun is one),
planets and moons coalesced.
Surface features formed on them.
Atmospheres appeared
and landscapes were sculpted
through processes of
breaking down and building up,
which continue even today,
life eventually evolved.
From organic molecules we’ve got
cells, organisms, plants, animals,
and eventually ourselves.
We humans then created
communities and civilizations,
tools, artefacts and other needs,
passing through ages of
stone, bronze, iron, to our present
information and space ages.
We invent ever ingenious things.
Our orginALity knows no bounds.
We NEED to be creative, original,
to be random and free
in expressing our artistic side,
to play, have fun, to be funny,
and to engage in that funny business
that creates new life,
producing original
me and you-niverses!
That’s our OrginALity for you!

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 InfluentiALity

IT'S A BROKEN WORLD. THERE ARE ABOUT NINE MILLION OF US WHO RESIDE IN PRISONS, AND NEARLY HALF A MILLION OF US WHO ARE MURDERED EACH YEAR.
OF THE 4 NATURAL FORCES, GRAVITY IS INSIGNIFICANTLY WEAK AT ATOMIC SCALE. WE FEEL ITS EFFECTS BECAUSE EARTH IS MADE OF GAZILLIONS OF ATOMS!!
IF THE FOUR FORCES & PHYSICAL CONSTANTS UNDERLYING REALITY WERE FRACTIONALLY DIFFERENT, THE UNIVERSE WOULD BE VERY DIFFERENT OR NON-EXISTENT

completes the first pair.

This is to do
with the natural laws,
principles, rules and constants
to which the universe is subject
and also the ethics and legal stuff
which we create for ourselves
so that we can judge and decide.
All those freed original particles
had to obey unwavering rules
or else chaos and disorder
would have reigned
and nothing would have formed.
Everything is subject to
four natural forces or influences:
gravity, electromagnetism, and
weak and strong nuclear forces.
When we humans came along
we started to form our own forces,
legislation and regulations
helped by our consciences.
Then, based on them,
we now make choices,
take decisions, give orders,
pass judgements,
and form habits.
We NEED these constraints
more and more.
At the same time,
we learn how to “break”
natural laws (and our own)
by, say, inventing ways to fly,
curing diseases (and disobeying!).
This fracALity
is not always popular
as it controls what we can do.
However, we NEED laws
otherwise nothingness
would reign in the universe
and we would not exist
either due to natural disorder
or our own destructive anarchy
That way, InfluentiALity is good!

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 MateriALity

OUR EARS CAN DISTINGUISH 1/2M TONES & OUR EYES 20M COLOURS (BY VIBRATION), BUT OUR NOSE, BILLIONS OF ODOURS (BY MOLECULAR SHA PE AND MIXTURE)
EACH OF US CONTAINS ENOUGH IRON TO MAKE 1 LARGE NAIL; PHOSPHORUS FOR 500 MATCHES (10 BOXES); CARBON FOR 900 PENCILS; AND FAT FOR 75 CANDLES.
THERE ARE 92 NATURAL ELEMENTS. THEIR ATOMS ARE ALL ABOUT THE SAME SIZE, BUT URANIUM IS 238 TIMES THE MASS OF THE LIGHTEST ELEMENT (HYDROGEN)

is another aspect of reality.

All those original creative processes
produced elements that started with
hydrogen and helium.
From these formed
increasingly complex ones,
then chemical compounds
that make up cosmic bodies
and eventually our own.
Our human bodies
are made up of hard bones,
squishy flesh and liquid blood,
that amazingly enable us
to note and observe
this wealth of materials around us
using our five wonderful senses
to see, hear, touch, taste
and smell stuff.
Some people appear to have other
subtle and psychic senses.
Not only do we NEED
sensory input,
but we NEED to
consume materials
such as air, food and drink.
And we NEED to
possess materials
such as clothing, shelter, transport
and for developing
all our current technology.
Scientists have now created
dozens of new elements,
and compounds are being made
with increasingly amazing properties.
We are true materialists!
We NEED materials to exist.
But if we sense,
consume or possess
too much stuff
and of the wrong sort,
we and others won’t be happy.
We must be wise and moderate
in our MateriALity.

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 MotionALity
WE HAVE ABOUT 5 LITRES OF BLOOD, WHICH OUR HEARTS CAN PUMP AT 50 LITRES PER MINUTE THROUGH VESSELS THAT WOULD ENCIRCLE THE EARTH FOUR TIMES.

LIGHT TRAVELS AT 300,000 KM PER SECOND, OR 7.5 TIMES AROUND THE EARTH. LIGHT FROM THE SUN TAKES 500 SECONDS (8 MIN. 20 SEC.) TO GET TO EARTH

12 MEN IN TOTAL HAVE WALKED ON THE MOON, AND THE GREATEST DISTANCE MAN HAS TRAVELLED FROM EARTH IS THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON OVER 400,000 KM.
is materiality’s complement.
Without movement
nothing material would exist.
The big bang’s infinite heat
set everything in motion.
No quark, electron, atom,
molecule, organism,
body, planet or galaxy
is ever still.
Everything is either orbiting,
vibrating, undulating, waving,
spinning or accelerating.
We can never reach
absolute zero temperature
because that's when
atoms stop moving.
And there are upper limits
to motion too, it seems.
Nothing can go faster
than the speed of light.
All life depends on motion.
We NEED to move
to work and play.
Even if we are sitting still
we are constantly
breathing in air,
our heart is beating,
blood is circulating,
food is digesting, and
cells are a hive of activity.
As we apply ourselves
to our businesses
producing outputs
we humans constantly want
to get ourselves and things
moving faster and further.
In our efforts to move more,
we sometimes forget that
we also NEED to slow down
in thought, word and deed.
But we do NEED to get exercise
and keep moving to be healthy.
No life without MotionALity!

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 DifferentiALity

THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER (LHC) IS THE LARGEST MOST COMPLEX MACHINE EVER BUILT, AND IS USED TO STUDY THE SMALLEST PARTICLES IN THE UNIVERSE!
WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE IN TERMS OF SIZE, SINCE OUR MILKY WAY GALAXY IS THAT MUCH BIGGER THAN WE ARE, AS A PROTON IS THAT MUCH SMALLER THAN US.

THERE ARE ABOUT 37,000,000,000,000 (37 TRILLION) CELLS IN OUR BODY, AND EVEN MORE BACTERIA MAINLY IN OUR GUT. THEY WORK TOGETHER TO FORM US!
is a further attribute of reality.
Take anything, examine it
and you'll find it can be reduced to
innumerable parts, all different,
each separate and distinguishable
one from another.
Galaxies are made up of stars,
which are made up of gases,
then elements, particles,
sub-particles and so on.
Light is made up of different colours.
As organisms, we're composed of
organs, tissues, cells,
organic compounds,
down to elements, each one distinct.
During evolution,
we've survived because
we can distinguish things e.g.
most importantly - friend from foe!
As hunter-gathers
we started to identify,
sort, name and classify
animals and plants.
All nature and the things we fabricate
can be broken down
into their component parts as we
dismantle, destroy, decay or die.
As scientists,
we NEED to monitor and measure
their changes and differences.
We NEED to have diversity.
As William Cowper said,
“Variety’s the very spice of life!”.
But we must not discriminate
when it's not necessary.
As we know, that's the cause
of too many problems.
We're all individuals,
with distinct personalities,
unique and equally valuable
in our own ways.
We should celebrate
our DifferentiALity!

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 IntegrALity

LIVING THINGS RANGE IN SCALE FROM ONE MICROSCOPIC CELL, TO BLUE WHALES WEIGHING UP TO 200 TONS, AND GIANT SEQUOIA TREES WEIGHING 2000+ TONS.
THE FIRST KNOWN ANALOG COMPUTER (THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM) WAS MADE IN 200 BC, AND USED +30 BRONZE GEARS TO PREDICT ASTRONOMICAL POSITIONS.
A SUPERTANKER CAN BE STEERED BY A PILOT USING ONE FINGER. ONE BILLION CHINESE SUBJECTS CAN BE GOVERNED BY THEIR PRESIDENT LIFTING A FINGER!

is needed to balance differentiALity.

Right from the start of the universe
the expanding energy field
generated a seething space
of waves and particles.
These are constantly coming
back together as unities
to form more and more
sophisticated building blocks.
Particles become nucleii,
atoms, elements then compounds.
These coalesce to form
stars and galaxies.
From them come
asteroids, planets, and moons
On our earth
fire, air, water, and rock
interact together to form
landscapes then life, systems,
organisms and eventually us,
our families, cultures, nations,
and all the things we make.
Each process of grouping,
joining up or integration
creates wholes
that are greater
than the sum of their parts.
Each new integration
provides direction and purpose
for the next stage of complexity.
We NEED direction and purpose
in our own lives and
we obtain that by integrating
what we have learnt or obtained
throughout our lives.
To do that we NEED the help of
mentors, facilitators,
negotiators, managers,
pastors and parents.
We humans NEED to work as teams
integrating all our skills
so as to appreciate the wider picture.
IntegraALity gives us purpose.

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 IntellectuALity

A MEMORY STICK OF 1 TERABYTE (ONE TRILLION BYTES) CAN STORE THE TEXT OF ONE MILLION BOOKS WHICH WOULD REQUIRE A BOOKSHELF ABOUT ONE KM LONG.
A 56 YEAR OLD SAVANT WHO INSPIRED THE MOVIE "RAIN MAN" IS SAID TO HAVE MEMORISED NEARLY 12,000 BOOKS AND COULD REA D A PAGE IN 8-10 SECONDS.
OUR BRAIN HAS OVER 100 BILLION NEURONS AND AT LEAST 100 TRILLION SYNAPTIC CONNECTIONS WHICH MAKES IT THE MOST COMPLEX ORGAN IN THE UNIVERSE

is one more fracALity.

This is to do with thinking
and how we solve problems.
Some people consider
that the universe
has always been conscious
with pre-existing
ideas or patterns out there
that determine how stuff forms,
such as elements, chemicals,
galaxies, stars, or planets.
When life eventually
emerges and takes shape
it becomes increasingly intelligent
until we humans arrive and
are able to be fully self-aware.
We're intelligent in all sorts of ways:
brainy, practical or artistic.
Some scientists think that our mind
is not just within our brain but
extends beyond in time and space.
This forms a corporate memory
which we sense and resonate with,
helping us to grow and develop.
In that way, we NEED
what other people have achieved
to help us achieve even more.
Our thoughts really do affect
others as well as ourselves.
So, as we muse
and interpret things,
we NEED to be positive
in sending out
(and hopefully receiving)
good “vibes” and not bad ones!
We NEED and are happiest when
we have a challenge to face
or a problem to solve
that’s to do with something
about which
we are passionate
and like to think about.
That’s our IntellectuALity.

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 PhenomenALity

THERE ARE NOW MORE MOBILE PHONE SUBSCRIPTIONS THAN THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD (7 BILLION) MAKING IT THE FASTEST GROWING TECHNOLOGY EVER.
THERE ARE 6500 LANGUAGES AND ON AVERAGE OVER OUR LIFETIME WE SPEAK AS MANY WORDS AS THERE ARE IN 1000 BIBLES (THAT IS A TOTAL OF 860 MILLION)

WE'RE GETTING MORE AND MORE CONNECTED! ABOUT 40 PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION USES THE INTERNET. TWENTY YEARS AGO IT WAS JUST 2 PERCENT.
complements thoughts and ideas.
We're aware of the universe
because it emits light and
other electromagnetic waves.
Now that we’ve discovered
gravitational waves,
we’ll be able
to learn more about
those mysterious black holes
and other dark stuff.
This is how, in effect,
our universe expresses itself
and communicates with us.
Sometimes it seems
that the cosmos
wants to reveal itself to us!
When it comes down to earth
so-called Gaia “talks” to us
by sight, sound, smells,
tastes, and textures
which combine to produce
all sorts of phenomena.
We human beings
have gone a stage further.
We have created spoken
and written languages
so as to meet our NEED to
tell others of our needs
and share our ideas and feelings.
We express or display these
through words, tone of voice,
gesture or body language,
prose, poetry, music, or art
using pen, brush, or instrument.
We NEED to communicate.
As BT says:
“It's good to talk”
We're even sending messages
into outer space
in case there are
extra-terrestrial intelligences.
We NEED to truly express ourselves.
That’s PhenomenALity for you.

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 InternALity

THE QUIETEST PLACE IS AN ANECHOIC CHAMBER IN THE USA. IF YOU REMAIN TOO LONG, YOU HALLUCINATE. THE LONGEST SOMEONE HAS STAYED IS 45 MINUTES
WE'RE FORMED OF ALMOST NOTHING EXCEPT FORCE FIELDS, SINCE THE INSIDE OF ATOMS THAT MAKE US ARE ONE HUNDRED TIMES "EMPTIER" THAN OUTER SPACE.
THERE ARE MORE THAN 8 IN EVERY 10 PEOPLE WORLDWIDE WHO IDENTIFY AS ADHERING TO A RELIGIOUS FAITH. THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN PRAYING!

is one of the last pair of attributes.

Now, here’s a deep question for you.
Does the universe have a soul?
Is there a spiritual dimension to life?
Many people think that there is.
Whether an atheist or not
we all have inner selves
with which we dialogue.
Are these voices inside us
or in another realm?
They can be good, sometimes bad.
We’ve always wondered about them
and come up with many religions
to help us seek deep answers
to make sense of it all.
We NEED religious thought
as well as the sciences
to help explain everything.
To discover the truth
we NEED to be still,
to rest, reflect and recuperate,
to meditate and contemplate,
to talk to that divine dimension,
to pray to our understanding
of that tricky word “God”
(the other was “Love”,
if you remember!).
We can only describe spiritual ideas
using our material knowledge
and therefore they'll never
be really “true”.
As theologians conclude -
we NEED to distinguish
the transcendent God
from the immanent.
Spiritually, we’ll never see clearly
(at least in this lifetime!)
but we NEED to keep on trying.
If we seek, we will get answers
and hopefully be transformed,
understanding heaven and eternity.
By forming our inner relationships,
InternALity is a key to reality.

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 RelationALity

OUR GLOBAL POPULATION IS CURRENTLY INCREASING BY ABOUT TWO PEOPLE PER SECOND AND DURING THIS TIME FOUR OF US ARE BORN FOR EVERY TWO WHO DIE.
WE INTERACT WITH AN AVERAGE OF 80,000 PEOPLE (A LARGE STADIUM) OVER OUR LIFETIME, BUT WE CAN FORM ONLY A MAXIMUM OF 150 STABLE RELATIONSHIPS
IT'S A SMALL WORLD: WE CAN BE ACQUAINTED WITH EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD THROUGH A CHAIN OF SIX "FRIENDS OF FRIENDS OF FRIENDS OF FRIENDS ETC.."

balances InternALity.
Everything in the universe exists in
external relation to something else.
Einstein’s theories of relativity
say as much.
At the same time as
things are getting further apart
others are coming
closer together.
The universe is full of attraction
as well as repulsion.
That also applies to us humans!
We naturally NEED
to find and form
meaningful, constructive relations
with things that are external to us.
The poet John Dunne wrote that
“No man is an island,
entire of itself”.
While we grow up, we NEED to form
many changing relationships:
As children with
parents or guardians;
As family with
siblings, friends and acquaintances;
As pupils with
peers and teachers;
As workers with
colleagues and managers;
As nationals with
politicians and leaders;
As lovers with
the beloved and then our spouse.
And so on throughout our lifetime
completing the circle of life.
All of life is relational
and a constant process of feedback.
If we believe in a divine being
then it’s with that we must form
our ultimate relationship, so as
to meet our most life-giving needs.
We NEED each other.
Reality really lies in RelationALity.

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 Balance

O WHO DIE.

O WHO DIE.
THE WORLD'S POPULATION IS 7 BILLION OF WHICH 1% OWN MORE WEALTH THAN THE OTHER 99% AND THE RICHEST 80 PEOPLE OWN MORE WEALTH THAN HALF OF US
WE ARE CURRENTLY CONSUMING 30% MORE OF EARTH'S NATURAL RESOURCES THAN ARE BEING REPLACED, DEGRADING THE ENVIRONMENT AND CHANGING OUR CLIMATE
O WHO DIE.
IF WE EAT MEAT, EACH OF US NEEDS AT LEAST 0.5 HA OF FARMLAND FOR A SUSTAINED BALANCED DIET. IF WE'RE VEGETARIANS, WE NEED JUST 0.07 HA LAND.

We can now summarise

IndenticAL parade our ten fracALities and their needs
by remembering how they
form pairs which must be balanced.

OriginALity balances InfluentiALity.

Our NEED for freedom, fun and creativity
needs to be balanced by
the control of law, order and decisions.

MateriALity balances MotionAlity.

Our NEED to sense, consume and possess stuff
needs to be balanced by
their sustained production and distribution.

DifferentiALity balances IntegrALity.

Our NEED for diversity and individuality
needs to be balanced by
inclusion, solidarity and purpose.

IntellectuALity balances PhenomenALity.

Our NEED to think and solve problems
needs to be balanced by
communication of our conclusions, and…

InternALity balances RelationALity

Our NEED to be alone and meditate
needs to be balanced by
developing loving relationships.

And the reverse will be true

for the causes and effects
between all these links
i.e. there’ll be feedback at all levels.
Our fracALities and their needs
not only give us rights to meet them
but also the responsibilities
to help others meet theirs.
They are inextricably interconnected.
How we exercise our rights
affects how others can exercise theirs.
We have responsibility for each other!
We’re all interconnected!

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 Perfect Love.

IN 2012, THE EU GOT THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR PROMOTING PEACE, RECONCILIATION, DEMOCRACY & HUMAN RIGHTS. 1946-2016 IS THE LONGEST PEACE IN EUROPE.

O WHO DIE.

THERE ARE NEARLY ONE BILLION SONGS IN THE WORLD, AND WELL OVER HALF OF THEM ARE ABOUT LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS - LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND
O WHO DIE.
IN 2012 THE 1ST UN MEETING ON HAPPINESS WAS HELD. BHUTAN IS THE ONLY COUNTRY USING A GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS PRODUCT TO MEASURE DEVELOPMENT

This is the glue that binds creation!

As we’ve looked at our fracALities
we’ve identified a few
of our many NEED-loves.
So – how do we make sure
that we meet those needs,
exercising and balancing
our rights and responsibilities
in ways that help us all?
Our loves can become wants,
demands, habits and burdens
that often don’t benefit us or others.
That’s because we let ourselves be
impatient, unkind, greedy or proud -
those selfish attitudes that are at
the root of everything bad in us.
One answer lies in the golden rule
“Do to others what
you'd like them to do to you”
However, that rule won’t work
unless we love ourselves un-selfishly.
Think about that – it’s a paradox!
But, if we know we’re truly loved,
then we can properly love ourselves
and we can perfectly love others,
forgiving them when they don’t love us.
That’s impossible, you may say…
Well, I personally think that
real Christianity gives us the answers.
The good news is that: “God is Love”.
God is a perfect relationship.
We've been loved into being,
nothing expected in return.
Jesus the Christ is a unique example
of this type of divine love.
It's a difficult thing to imitate, but
depending on your beliefs
we can get spiritual support
as well as human help.
We just NEED to ask.
Perfect Love
will bind us together
and set us free!

17
 Octaikon
OK - so we've taken a look
at the ten aspects of reality
and the perfect love
that glues them together
so that all our needs
can be perfectly met.
We’ve seen how we humans
reflect the pattern of creation
(and the image of “God”, if Christian)
How can we summarise it all?
It's all too complicated,
you may think.
AL illustrating balance! Well, fear not! All is not lost.
The fracALities relate together
in such a way that
you can represent them
on an octagonal diagram
showing how they link together
and form the five pairs that balance.
I call this diagram an Octaikon.
It’s based on dozens of existing ideas,
in science and religion,
of many writers, old and new,
that explain, exactly how
“we live and move
and have our being”
Key aspects of each FracALity to coin a phrase attributed to
the Greek philosopher Epimenides.
Now it’s up to you.
Visit and explore the website
www.octaikon.co.uk
and read the other books
that explain the Octaikon.
You'll discover all the theories
on which it is based
and how they can help you
at whatever stage of life
or needs that you may have.
On the opposite page,
there are four of over a 100 topics
I’ve compared using the Octaikon.
Our essential needs summarised (For more, visit the website
and look at the Okki-maps).

18
 The OCTAIKON maps below illustrate examples of ideas/topics I have analysed
showing how our fraALities tend to underlie them (but not always exactly, note!).
They function as mind-maps to help understand, summarise and compare topics.

BRAIN FUNCTIONS WAYS WE LEARN

Our amazingly complex brain We have different preferences
is structured and functions in ways that in the ways we like to learn subjects
correspond to how we think. and ask questions about them

TEAM ROLES LIFE AFTER SCHOOL

Eight team roles in management At school and afterwards
have been identified all of which we need to acquire life skills
play important parts in planning. for all types of relationships

19
 What do I do now?
As well as exploring the website, you can use this booklet
to develop the ideas of fracALities, balance and love presented in it
either by yourself or in a discussion group,
and then put them into practice in your life.
I’d suggest that you do this in several ways
using the following or similar starter questions:
Consider all the fracALities together, and ask:
To what extent do you agree with the model outlined in the book?
Which fracALities do you most and least prefer? Why is that so?
How do they relate to your work and play? Do you meet their needs?
How do they relate to each other? Where do they overlap?
How could the universal model be improved?

Consider each pair of fracALities, and ask:

Which ones are the most and the least balanced in you? Why is that?
How could you achieve a better balance? What do you need to change?
What about getting balance in partnership with someone else or as a group/team?

Consider each fracALity by itself, and ask:

What do you think about that fracALity? How important is it to you?
How do you meet the needs engendered by it?
What happens if you can’t meet those needs?
Does your pursuit of them stop others meeting theirs?
How do you help others meet their needs?

Consider the glue – perfect love, and ask:

To what extent do you agree with the types of “love” introduced in the book?
Where you disagree, what would be your understanding?
To what extent do you agree that there is spiritual side to life?
If there is, how does it demonstrate a divine dimension (“God”)?
What do you think of the metaphor that this dimension is “perfect love”?
To what extent are you able to show perfect unconditional love for others?
How does your personal inner life affect your public life?
Where do you fail in showing your love? Does it matter?
Who could help you to show your love better?
How could the divine play a part?
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