Dear Pogue,

So, you paused and listened when you came to the end of the last letter?

What happened? Did you wait in stillness and silence? Silence really is the language of God and I hope that you’re learning that.

But, assuming we agree that there is substance to the secret, what are we going to do with it? That is the $million question. Here’s my suggestion. I suggest that we continue with our revolution at a personal level by questioning everything, because I think that we’ve been sold a line. Often not deliberately, the line having evolved over time and has been passed from one to another. Sometimes very deliberately by those who would hold power or those who would see profit. Am I becoming cynical?

Just think for a moment. We’ve exchanged letters covering a number of topics. Things like how “cool” resides on the margins, thinks and act for itself and is mimicked by those who would start a trend. There’s popularity and profit in a well managed trend. We wrote about how entertainment has risen to become a religion. We’ve made mention of how religion can actually distract from what we seek. We both know that religion will not take us to the place we seek, that place where our spirits will run free, where creativity will be our currency and the magic that is hidden away in the world will be revealed to us.

Tell me, do you ever listen to U2? If you do you will have heard the song “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”. Bono’s lament as he searches for a meaning that has evaded him.

Are we currently singing along to the chorus with him or have we found it? Before you answer take another moment or two (who knew my letters could be so engaging?). Let your mind remind you of the wildest, freest version of yourself you have ever dreamed of.

Now answer. Have we found it?

I guessing we might have a way to go, some challenges to face and a whole lot of questions to ask of situations, people and the things we’ve been asked to believe to this point in our stories. And I suspect if we learnt anything from the dolphins (and if you haven’t, read the last letter again), if we choose to believe we were created to swim in oceans, we may find ourselves being misunderstood because people really know so little about freedom. Oh, tell them they are not free and you’ll find a whole bunch ready to run about and do crazy stuff to prove you wrong. But suggest to them that freedom may have a whole lot to do with not following and trying to impress the crowd, by not measuring worth and achievement by their bank balance. You may get another reaction.

I think we might find what we’re looking for when we start to be what we were created to be, in realising potential we currently don’t know is ours. There’s a line in the Bible you’ll no doubt be familiar with, where Jesus speaks of those who will come after him doing greater things than he has done. Pretty cool, you think? Just remember he got himself crucified for fulfilling his potential.

I also think, I know you undoubtedly believe I rattle on about this, but there is a lot to be said for stillness and silence. I have an awful lot of practice to do on this one. Is silence natural to you or are you caught in a chaotic world that does its best to drown out silence? Does the noise of our lives strive to shout down the voice of God speaking the silence? Ever pondered why?

But I will practice. I was interrupted recently peering aimlessly into space. I was actually having a great moment. God loves to speak. The Universe is communicating continually. There is so very much to be told to you and I if we will grasp our potential and elect to swim in the ocean. So much that we can’t possibly grasp while swimming in the pool.

Remember how Jonathon Livingston Seagull discovered his limitless potential to fly when he dared to believe he was created for more and rose to the heights that the other gulls refused to believe could be done. And how when he returned to tell of a gull’s potential the flock had no language to understand him and so turned away.

Well I said in the last letter that the dolphins that live in the pool have no concept of what an ocean is and can never understand. But in silence, you who seek, you who believe can begin to understand, glimpse, experience, realise potential and find freedom.

What’s it going to be. Should I send Bono a copy of this? Do you still have his address?

Yours, standing by the ocean,

Wic