🎧My spiritual teacher... Duncan Trussell

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Let me start by acknowledging the fact that Duncan in no way, considers himself a teacher. I however have a very relative mind and have this conception that matter matters, a teacher in this material world is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, and this man accomplishes just that with his community, In a way that feels more like he is part of the class than leading it.

It's true that the growth never really stops happening, I think that's why Duncan doesn't want to see it that way. He reminds me of my grade 7 teacher, in the sense that he lays out the grounds for understanding the concept he's relaying, and then provides the point. Mr. Morris, my grade 7 teacher once posed a situation to his class and allowed time for us to ponder. He said "Imagine a sign at an airport, that says beware of pickpockets." and so I did, and in that same breath I imagined my hand reaching for my wallet, before I reached it I stopped myself and asked why. Again this was a thought experiment so I was not really reaching for anything, but I wondered why I would want to. My initial thought was, well I need to know that I have my wallet, and where it is so that I can be mindful of myself specifically in the region it's located.

At this point Mr. Morris had elaborately mapped out more of the scenario, then he asked "who do you think put the sign there?" In my mind the difference occurred when he posed the idea of the sign the first time, I don't know if everyone thought of reaching for their wallet when they heard the word "pickpocket" but I certainly did, reverse-phycology was being used in an attempt to make you willingly give up the location of the hidden treasure in your pants, no not your genital, get your mind out of the gutter... The pickpocket had placed the sign, not security, not concerned civilians, it was the pickpockets clearly, however I don't think his lesson was over. "It was the pickpockets!" I said so boldly, he approached my desk and I began to get nervous. "The pickpockets? But the sign is a warning about pickpockets, why would they put it there?" I simply nodded my head, and said "It makes sense to me." I suppose he wanted me to explain my thinking, at that age, that process happened too fast, I had yet to be diagnosed ADHD and I didn't elaborate. I let myself zone out at that point, I figured I was wrong when he walked away laughing at my response. that was up until the end of the class, when he made it obvious to everyone that it was all simply a ploy to get you to check for your wallet, then pickpockets would know where you were keeping it. I was right all along.

Anyway the point is, this teacher was the first to make me feel like I was learning with him. I felt like he was as much the student as I was, but what is learning without setting boundaries for what is right and wrong. Not only has Duncan helped me to open up, but by joining his community I've made some friends that are truly special to me, and are day by day becoming more and more inspirational to me and what I'm doing. Duncan has a way of thinking that makes you wonder, you wonder about the world, wonder about yourself, you wonder where the line is drawn, you wonder why it's drawn. It's important to me that you understand, for me. these lines are draw in in the sand, and very easily manipulated. Art is you breathing in and out, as much as it is you dipping a brush in some luscious red paint. This is my testament to that. Duncan approved the use of the voice samples I used, but I don't know if he's heard it. That's not really my intention ether, matter of fact, I don't really have an intention... I just want to be a better me, and opening up to let people know I have flaws is a step I have to take to becoming better. Duncan helped me to see that, and I'm truly grateful to him for that. You can find > Duncan < here