"When you do not realize you are one with the river, or one with the universe, you have fear. Whether it is separated into drops or not, water is water. Our life and death are the same thing. When we realize this thing, we have no fear of death anymore, and we have no actual difficulty in our life." - Shunryu Suzuki When we are afraid, we have forgotten who we are. When we forget who we really are, we feel small, alone and vulnerable. Like a drop of water. Just as water doesn't stop being water once it is a part of the river, we don't stop being a part of the universe when we die. We are composed of the same elements that surround us. This is the reality. The illusion is the little ego, the public persona, the mask we hide behind. The minute we forget who we are, fear creeps up and limits our beliefs about who we are and what we can accomplish. When we remember we are the universe, all things are possible and we lose our fears. I am one with The Universe. I am constantly changing and evolving. I am not afraid. I always remember who I am. - Perry Tilleraas The Color of Light: Meditations for All of Us Living With AIDS © 1988 Hazeldon Foundation