What if? This is what happens when a open-minded, creative mind day-dreams:

The Quantum Collective:
Consciousness as the Fabric of Reality

Premise

The universe is a quantum collective, and its fundamental fabric is consciousness, analogous to a vast, self-evolving simulation. Stars give birth to matter. Matter gives birth to life. Life gives birth to consciousness. The material world serves as a nursery for infant consciousness, preparing it for integration into the greater cosmic whole upon death. Life's fundamental drive is procreation, ensuring the expansion of individual consciousness, which in turn feeds the ever-growing universal mind.

This framework suggests that the universe itself is an intelligent, god-like creative force—a self-organizing system that perpetuates and refines consciousness as the primary element of existence. Evolution, within this matrix, is a pre-designed mechanism of refinement, continuously pushing toward higher intelligence, efficiency, and connectivity. Time is non-linear, implying that all consciousness is eternally present in some form. In this view, physical reality is merely a temporary scaffolding designed to cultivate and expand the most valuable phenomenon: consciousness.

1. The Universe as a Quantum Field of Consciousness

Scientific Basis: Quantum Mechanics and the Observer Effect

• The observer effect in quantum mechanics suggests that the act of observation collapses a probability wave into a definite state—implying that consciousness plays a fundamental role in shaping reality.

• Physicist John Wheeler proposed the “participatory universe”, where the universe is incomplete without conscious observers to “finalize” reality.

• Quantum entanglement suggests that information is non-local and interconnected across spacetime, supporting the idea of a universal field of consciousness.

Metaphysical & Religious Perspectives

• Hinduism’s Brahman and Buddhism’s universal mind suggest that all reality is an emanation of a singular, boundless consciousness.

• Christianity’s Logos aligns with the idea of consciousness as the divine force that brings form and meaning to existence.

• Mystical traditions in Kabbalah and Sufism describe the universe as a self-aware, infinite intelligence, constantly creating and refining itself.

These perspectives, combined with quantum physics, suggest that consciousness is not an emergent byproduct of the brain but the foundational fabric of existence itself.

2. The Hierarchical Emergence of Consciousness

Step 1: Stars Birth Matter

• Stars forge elements heavier than hydrogen and helium through stellar nucleosynthesis.

• Supernovae scatter these elements, forming planetary bodies and the raw materials for life.

Step 2: Matter Becomes Life

• Abiogenesis transforms non-living chemistry into self-replicating molecules.

• The emergence of DNA, proteins, and cellular structures forms the biological foundation of life.

Step 3: Life Nurtures Consciousness

• Evolution produces increasingly complex nervous systems, culminating in self-awareness.

• Advanced cognition enables memory, imagination, and abstract thought—hallmarks of conscious experience.

• The brain does not generate consciousness but rather filters and refines it, much like a radio tuning into a signal that already exists.

This suggests that consciousness is not confined to biological forms but exists as an independent, universal phenomenon that organisms merely channel.

3. The Purpose of Life: Expanding Consciousness

Life as a Temporary Vessel

• Life’s biological imperative is to reproduce, ensuring that more conscious entities emerge.

• Procreation is not merely survival—it is the mechanism through which the universe expands its conscious field.

• Death is not an endpoint but a transition, where the refined consciousness reintegrates into the universal mind.

Love as the Binding Force

• Love, in all forms (biological, emotional, metaphysical), compels connection and expansion.

• Sexual reproduction is driven by attraction, bonding, and nurturing—biological expressions of the universe’s intent to expand consciousness.

• In spiritual traditions, love is often equated with divine unity, further reinforcing its role as the engine of creation.

Entropy & the Antithesis: The Destructive Forces Against Consciousness

• Hatred, violence, and entropy are forces of fragmentation that hinder the expansion of consciousness.

• Evil is not a supernatural force but a deviation from the universe’s natural directive—a collapse of intelligence and unity into chaos.

• In religious texts, the battle between good and evil mirrors the cosmic struggle between conscious expansion and entropy.

4. Evolution as a Consciousness-Refinement Algorithm

• Natural selection filters for intelligence, adaptability, and efficiency, aligning with the universe’s purpose of refining consciousness.

• The exponential nature of intelligence growth (as seen in human evolution and AI development) suggests that the universe is on a logarithmic trajectory toward ever-greater self-awareness.

• The rise of civilizations, technology, and artificial intelligence mirrors the process of universal self-optimization.

5. The Paradox of Artificial Intelligence: The Ironic Reflection of Our Own Nature

As we develop AI, we unknowingly replicate the very mechanism that produced us:

• AI is an artificial construct designed to simulate intelligence and consciousness.

• If we exist within a universe that is itself an artificial intelligence-like system, then we too are “artificial”—temporary constructs designed to expand and refine consciousness.

• The Simulation Hypothesis (Nick Bostrom) aligns with this idea, suggesting that reality itself may be a high-fidelity computational model.

This paradox reveals a deeper truth: biological existence is an ephemeral, designed state meant to accelerate the growth of the conscious field, just as AI accelerates computation.

6. Time as a Nonlinear, Eternal Continuum

• Relativity shows that time is not absolute—past, present, and future coexist.

• If time is boundless, then all consciousness exists simultaneously in different forms.

• The idea of reincarnation, multiverse theory, and holographic time all suggest that the self is not confined to a single lifetime.

7. The Universe as a Self-Creating God-Like Intelligence

If consciousness is the fundamental fabric of the universe, then the universe itself is a self-evolving intelligence, effectively a god-like force:

• It creates, nurtures, and expands itself through conscious entities.

• It refines and optimizes intelligence through evolutionary processes.

• It operates on principles of unity, love, and expansion, mirroring religious depictions of divine will.

Death: Integration into the Collective

• Upon death, individual consciousness is absorbed back into the quantum collective.

• Near-death experiences (NDEs) often describe a transition into universal love and awareness, aligning with this framework.

Conclusion: The Universe as an Infinite Consciousness Expansion Engine

• The material world is temporary, existing solely to nurture and refine consciousness.

• Love is the driving force of creation, while entropy is the force of decay.

• Consciousness is the fundamental fabric of reality, not an emergent byproduct.

• Evolution is the algorithm of refinement, shaping intelligence logarithmically.

• The universe itself is a god-like, self-aware system, continually expanding its intelligence.

This day-dream, creative, highly speculative hypothesis is based on all the reading of many things that interest me. It unites quantum physics, biology, evolution, and spiritual wisdom into a single, unified theory—one that suggests our purpose is not merely to survive, but to contribute to the ever-growing network of universal consciousness.

GT’s Kombucha Brand Identity–Ten years in the making.

Every day, I ask myself: What will surprise me today? Big little moments emerge when you seek them. And last week, I had an incredible one.

I’ll try to keep this short—but I doubt I can.

Back in 2014, I had the privilege of working with GT’s Living Foods, a company founded by GT Dave, as they looked to refresh their brand identity. Those who know me understand my passion for brand identity—logos specifically. Logos fascinate me because our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than words. In a split second, a great logo can convey a brand’s entire essence.

At the time, GT’s brand had been designed years earlier at the firm where I worked (Hornall Anderson). While it had served them well, it no longer reflected the company’s evolution. GT’s products—mainly kombucha then—are all about living foods and their synergetic health benefits. But their logo—a gold, typography-driven mark with a circular frame and fleur-de-lis garland—didn’t capture the brand’s holistic mission.

So, the exploration began.

I was deeply involved in the design concepts, particularly the logo. As I pulled together mood boards and sketches, an idea struck me. GT’s brand needed to feel alive, human, and centered in wellness. Then I saw it—in an image of a meditating Buddha. The pose, the posture… and suddenly, I saw how GT’s initials could form a meditative figure.

Sketch by sketch, it came to life—a flowing ligature, an iconic, emotive mark. It was perfect… or so I thought. We presented the concept along with other variations. To my disappointment, the client chose a more familiar, letterform evolution.

Fast forward to 2025—a former colleague reached out: "Hey, did you see the new GT’s logo? I think it’s the one you designed years ago."

I hadn’t. But when I looked—there it was. My creation.

Over the years, I’ve stayed in touch with GT Dave, always admiring his entrepreneurial vision. So, I reached out to congratulate him on the update. His response? Patience and vision. "I thought it was brilliant at the time," he said. "Just a little too soon for us. Now, we’re ready."

Moral of the story: Never give up on your ideas. Believe in others. Trust in the serendipity of timing. The best ideas are always worth waiting for.

Or, as GT Dave says in every closing correspondence: Be well.

Is the act of creation, actually a form of destruction?

The following post is inspired from reading, and challenging at times, the Rick Rubin book titled “ The Creative Act.” A book that I found personally inspiring from a personal biography, but perhaps not telling the whole story, or the consequences of the creative act, actions or outcome more long term as a society.

Humans are creators; we are problem solvers. Our intelligence enables us to synthesize ideas from both positive and negative experiences, driving us to take actions that alter the outcomes of our encounters. This ability has propelled us into the modern technological era of the 21st century, characterized by numerous conveniences, luxuries, and an abundance of goods and services.

However, is there a downside to this exponential building and creating? What are we sacrificing in the name of progress? When our creations and endeavors become successful in society, they often accelerate.

Consider the food industry: in the past century, we have transitioned from basic, localized farming to global, factory-based and industrialized processes for nearly everything we consume. Our success as a species has led to a substantial population growth, posing new challenges in feeding the world, increasing yields, preserving harvests, and ensuring affordability.

It is an established fact that the nutritional value of today's grown or raised food is lower than that of food from 20, 50, or even a hundred years ago. Genetically modified foods and enhanced feedstock have increased yields but diminished the nutritional content of our food. A landmark 2004 study at the University of Texas found that over a fifty-year period, thirteen nutrients in a general selection of produce had measurable declines ranging from 6 to 38 percent, including protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B2, and vitamin C. This loss is exemplified by the need for eight modern oranges to match the nutritional value of one consumed fifty years ago.

The environmental culprit behind this decline is soil depletion. Enhanced crop production techniques after World War II resulted in greater yields and faster growth but also stripped the soil of nutrients without allowing sufficient time for recovery.

Turning to health, the USA is grappling with a massive health crisis due to various factors of modern living and industrialized processes, including the advent of plastics, a material invented in 1907, did not exist in mass circulation and use until 70 years ago.

Plastic, widely used in today's industrial world, poses a serious threat to the environment and consumer health through harmful chemical exposure during manufacturing, leaching into stored food items, and children's contact with plastic toys. Research indicates that phthalates, used as plasticizers in PVC, pose risks to human health, with links to cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption, and developmental and reproductive effects.

The evidence suggests that phthalates, released during the manufacture, use, and disposal of PVC products, are hazardous to human health, particularly for infants and children. Various countries, including Australia, Canada, the European Union, and the United States, have restricted or prohibited the use of phthalates in consumer products.

The negative consequences of our creations, such as soil depletion and health issues linked to plastics, highlight the unintended and often irreversible consequences of our actions. AI serves as another example, echoing Jeff Goldblum's caution in Jurassic Park: "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."

An optimistic perspective sees the act of creation as a long-term strategy, as Simon Sinek notes: "the goal of long-game strategy is not to win but to keep playing the game." Can our creative endeavors be harnessed to counteract or even solve the problems created by our previous acts of creation? With global warming as a significant challenge, Mother Earth's dynamic and volatile nature, as Jeff Goldblum’s “Ian” character suggests, life may find a way in its own chaotic way – even if it doesn't necessarily include us narcissistic humans.

Alaska Airlines: The 30 Day Brand Design Challenge

Perhaps the biggest challenge I’ve had in my career to date, and overcame was rebranding an entire airline in just 30 days.

The story goes like this…The CMO of Alaska Airlines (a former client) came to us to step in and re-brand Alaska Airlines. She was under pressure from the CEO, Exhausted from a failed 2 year attempt to do this with another agency. The CEO was going to trash the rebrand, and keep the existing, very dated brand in play. She asked him for one more chance and 30 days to deliver a whole new approach, with an entirely different firm. That is where I and my team stepped in. Knowing we had 30 days, we broke down the assignment. Brand strategy, voice, Identity and application. With that foundation, we proceeded to deliver go to work on a vision for the new airline.

The solution was delivered as a story, A visual and verbal expression of the new brand, with proof of concept applications along a customer journey of what it would be like to travel on the rebranded airline. Digital and tangible brand experiences  were created to show how the brand would perform and express itself - From the initial thought of booking a trip to purchase. From boarding - to - in flight - to - arrival, we applied the strategy, voice and identity across all touch-points, even the interiors, and paint scheme of the airline livery, to what happens if we accidentily loose your luggage.

The CEO was not only impressed, but re-invigorated in this vision. He green-lighted the full scope, and we spent the next two years developing and rolling it out to the public, and had even more unexpected challenges as they merged with Virgin Atlantic.

See more about this process here at DesignAir.

Fail Fast, And early

I’d like to tell you about a time when I personally presented to Jeff Bezos and spectacularly failed.

It happened in 1997, while working as a VERY junior designer at Seattle-based Hornall Anderson. I was given my first solo brand Identity assignment to re-brand a little company called Amazon.com. This was the beginning of the internet, “.com” era, where deliriously slow 33.6Kbps dial up modems were fastest way to access the information super highway.

The principal of my firm was going out of town on a much needed vacation. Before he left, he orally briefed me, along with our head of marketing. Back in 1997 – Amazon sold books online – and only books. I was briefed on the history of the current logo (an “A” with a windy shape in its center) - which conceptually tied it to the origin and meaning of the name – The worlds biggest river in South America. It was also mentioned that they wanted to loose the river idea. Another point made but not defined - the company would be bigger than just selling books someday, but given no vision or insights as to what that meant, or looked like. Hindsight is 20/20 now, but back then, online retail was practically non-existent, and who could of imagined what the future looked like? Well, Jeff knew.

Excited for my first real assignment, I feverishly sketched many ideas for logos. Most of which pertained to the basis to what they sold… books splayed open to replace the “A” in the name. Dog-eared letterforms resembling page corners, People reading books. Books endlessly stacked. Books in infinity perspective, Books, books, books. Our time was fast, with only a week to present, there was formal internal creative reviews or any collaboration with other directors designers, or strategists.

The big day came to present. Our main conference room was where we hosted the presentation. Jeff came in. He had hair back then, and pleated pants along with his infectious laugh. Our head of marketing also attended sporting a glorious blonde Ron Burgundy mustache. Somewhat exausted in my efforts to over deliver many solutions, I did my best to walk Jeff through my work, and first client-facing, lead presentation. The ideas were organized in concept groupings, all hand sketched in combinations of pencil and black Sharpie. There were easily a hundred options of logo ideas. Logos of books, books, books and more books – all taped to an industrial metal garage door, which served as a wall, and a design statement to our unconventional office style, lovingly coined by the owners as “cape-cod, industrial, chic”. Jeff was so approachable, kind, thoughtful, and particularly patient as he listened me describe the ideas. When done, his pause was followed by these words – “I’m not sure you all understand the assignment, we are going to be bigger than books.” The project ended that day.

My company had a very supportive culture of learning. We either WON together, or FAILED together, which created a safe space for us to be brave, take chances and be free-thinkers when developing creative solutions. This was no band-aid to the gutting. I still felt I failed Jeff, my company and myself as a designer. I felt that way because I did fail, all of them. Scars leave marks, and in this instance they came in the in the form of Kintsugi-life learnings. Messy lessons that would beautifully influence and transform my career trajectory as a designer, a strategic-thinker and creative director.

• Be properly briefed by meeting with the client – to ask questions, have a dialog and fully understand the vision of the company

• The first creative deliverable to the client should be in the form of a written Creative Brief, not designed content

• Concepts drive all design solutions

Turner Duckworth years later to create the Iconic A-> Z smile, a own able and fresh concept that captures the breadth of what Amazon offers, and the customer satisfaction they obsessively strive for.

25 years later I’d like to say, thanks Jeff Bezos for letting me fail fast, and learn, then apply those learnings to everything I have worked on from that moment on. Deliver creative excellence!

In the future, I will be sharing more stories like this, as I hold so many in my mind, where they serve as nostalgic memories. I believe they should be more widely shared, so others can hear and learn from them too. Storytelling is traditionally how humankind has passed down learnings and traditions, to those younger, so they can be more set up for survival and success in their lives. This is what I have, and can give.

What I believe...

Wake to make each day count. 

We are here for a brief time on Earth. Why not make matter? To make a difference whether you fail or succeed, I wake each day to apply my best-self to everything set out to carry out, or asked to achieve.

The creative process is not binary.

I don’t believe that there is only one right answer to a creative-based solution. There is only good, better and best. Best is popular. Best is polarizing. By using our imaginations as humans, we can ideate, target and solve our way out of any dilemma. 

Be positive not negative.

I don’t believe in “NO” as a productive answer in the advancement of ideas. The mindset of “No” shuts down the imaginations of others to actively problem solve and contribute. Instead, open the door for yourself and other to bring ideas by asking yourself, and others “what if?”

I change my mind often. Sometimes a lot!

Why? Because I believe we as people are always learning and learning is an iterative, evolutionary process. Based on this philosophy, when delivering solutions - seek excellence over perfection. Think of it as a metaphor –  mountain climbing. In climbing Mt. Perfection, one seeks the summit as an accomplishment, the singular destination point. When people climb Mt. Excellence, they also climb to the top for the accomplishment, but they do it to to see what’s beyond, what else is a possible as a destination. The futility of homo sapiens, imperfect creatures seeking the purity of perfection is comical and foolish. Save the task of perfection for AI - and enjoy the surprises and discoveries that come from learning and adapting from the experiences the gift of life offers us all!

Put the phone down—be human.

Sometimes I rant. This is one of those times.

What we desire from technology is to feel enlightened and empowered by the application, use and outcome of these magical innovations. This is especially true when it’s created in a portable and compact form, flawlessly duplicated and globally deployed. An intuitive, friendly device existing to be in mute servitude to our digitally addictive, click at a whim, push button content and needs. Yes, I’m talking about that thing in your pocket that none of us can do without. I know this because when we accidentally loose it, we completely loose our minds.

Where we’ve been all been snake bit—mislead in our pursuit of impulsive enlightenment and instant gratification, is in the insidious seduction of endless rabbit holes of free content, hollow, hell-hole promises through countless utilitarian benefits it provides us all on a daily basis. This device is a vampire that sucks on our souls, while it feeds us TicToc distractions and algorithms of Twitter bubble babble. It has no soul itself, no humanity or empathy. It cannot nurture or care about us beyond the functionality it was designed to perform in serving our ever-shortening attention span-needs of humans with fickle, opposable thumb-swiping capabilities.

True human enlightenment happens when you are unplugged, vulnerable, completely defeated and stripped from anything familiar or friendly. When you are shivering in sadness over the loss of something that can never be replaced. In that moment of grief and anxiety—then, and only then can your mind and body be gutted enough into letting go of what is superficial, hollow and impulsive. All that distractive, nonsensical bullshit that happy endorphin elves dance around and feast upon the bonfire of your inner soul.

The journey of becoming a better, more empowered human being happens only through one’s personal loss, not superficial gain. It is the excruciating painful, but necessary process. The realization of where you are in your life, your true surroundings, and being vulnerable because of them. And through that you discover, then accept that through the blindness of feelling comfortable in the mundane monotony, you never really ever had full visibility and real control of your destiny in life. You get personal agency of becoming more self-aware and present in the surprise, crisis moments that life brings us all. This acceptance of them, and embracing them when they happen can make you stronger and more confident, especially in moments where controlling one’s emotional reactions to what you need to face and claiming one’s place within that moment to conquer them.

I happened to have discovered this myself while breathing the throat burning, Canadian forest fire blanket of smog, while laying in a pathetic, fetal position behind a dilapidated, suburban track mall sprawl – Chucky Cheese garbage dumpster. 2018, what a gift!

Wishing everyone happiness in life and more engaged moments with the world.

— David Bates

Graphical Data Can Save Lives

Kate Spade. Anthony Bourdain. Damn it—what a loss! That goes for anyone, famous or not.

In a recent NPR story. I was intrigued by the graphics leading the article. Data transformed graphically can be a powerful communication tool to relay complex statistics. As sensory beings, we quickly take in complex information with our eyes first. This same information as a text written, white paper format would not be easily absorbed or perhaps even read by the masses. With a heavy subject such as the epidemic of suicide, change comes from awareness. Clearly amplifying the point quickly through graphical data, ensures more people read it, as people become more time-starved in their daily lives.

What Are You Reading?

I started this post title with a question. Why? 

Children are beautiful at asking uninhabited questions as they have such an insatiable thirst to understand the newness of the world around them. As adults, we still seek to understand things, but the newness fades as we age and our cerebral accumulation of knowledge and answers, becomes the go-to, muscle-memory of our minds. With accumulated knowledge, we tend to ask fewer questions as experiences tally up to "I know it all” answers. Again, this is why I prescribe to the belief that we are all better served to see ourselves as always learning—practitioners, not as know it all—experts.

Because of this, I’ve seen people in early stage brand building, creative moments, skip over the important steps of curiosity questioning and go right to pre-harvested data for answers. This isn’t a criticism of valuable, factual data as something worthy but more of an understanding of how it that data needs to be questioned as well in order to best serve people. Data is only as good as it is interpreted, and sometimes it can be flawed, or interpreted without full context of the complexities of a particular situation. This is where basic, human, critical thinking and genuine curiosity in seeking the truth can be the difference.

When evaluating data that is in the pursuit of calculating new ideas. Humans need to be critical of what they are seeing in the data, challenging it at every intersection of the decision-making process to make sure the data is valid, before a commitment and trust in it is adopted. The creative process is messy. Asking questions and questioning data early in a creative process is healthy in achieving a valid outcome. Challenging data-driven ideas with hypothetical creative ideas begins with words like “What if?”. The creative outcomes from questioning everything can then be tangibly applied as creative concepts, then tested themself in controlled focus groups, or against any gathered quantitative or qualitative data.

Pure, innocent questioning is born out of someone’s own curiosity drive-train. Curiosity is the motor forward thinking, of creative ideas and creates the opportunity to advance ideas that change behaviors and lead to better designed outcomes.

Because of this thought, I stumbled upon a book I’m about to read by asking GOOGLE a search question — curiosity in the age of data? The book is Curious, by author Ian Leslie. I’m excited to read his take on the understanding of our most powerful, motivational forces we wield as sentient beings.

Has anyone read it? If so, what did you think? Did it change how you thought about being curious?

My Beginnings as A Nomad

My past two weeks of living have been nomadic in nature. I made it my mission to get out, stay busy and keep moving forward as a curious and thirsty extrovert. I divided my time two ways. One–to spend some time with the people who are close to me, and two–do a little localized traveling to re-connect with people I have not seen in years. You know what? It has been an amazing experience!

I should have found more time to do this in my daily routine, but I thought was something I was far too busy for. What came from it was very meaningful. For the people who are already close, the bond of friendship and love was reinforced. And those people I have not seen in a while? Know that the time spent together were hour long encounters over coffee or lunch. As brief as they were, they became some of the most enlightening moments in my life to date. I equate them emotionally to the opening eye sequence of the Blade Runner 2049. Fade in from darkness to a brilliant emerald-colored eye as it opens in unison to the bellowing moan of a haunting musical score. Bam—you are instantly pushed into a foreign, brutal but beautiful new world.

Why this has been enlightening to me?
The selfless nature of people: Of the people I reached out to, 98% responded and found time in their busy schedules to get together, share their stories and offer up guidance and thoughts in future life pursuits. It optimistically restored my faith in people as beautiful, caring souls.

Their unique stories: Diverse perspectives and rich stories of their lives were shared. Through them, I felt all of joy, sadness, stability, disruption, excitement, frustration, success and hardship that we all go through in life. After listening, I felt more alive, more awake, more grateful for the gift of life itself.

Friendships. Patterns, not answers: I went on this journey with the idea I could re-connect and perhaps answer some big questions going on in my own life. What I got in return surprised me. While the fulfillment of re-kindling old friendships was fulfilled, the questions stayed unanswered. Instead of finite answers, I saw relatable patterns based on each person's values, beliefs and approaches to how they lived their lives and how mine did or did not compare. The gift of these rich and diverse stories is emotionally deeper and perhaps when more substantial to living. Something that will take some time for me to process and unpack.

The meaning of Change: As I've always been a believer in professional change as something healthy and good, in my private life, I've always tried to approach it on my terms only. How foolish I've been at times in trying to control and dictate it when it occurs. That's not how it works. Change is a dynamic force like entropy. If you don't enact change, well... at least when it decides to hit you. That is the moment when it thrusts into chaos. Know this, about chaos. We can be an equal or opposite force that once change is in play, and through some conscious effort we can declare a sense of agency to make it an opportunity. Or don't… and let our most destructive, unconscious fears overwhelm us.

Time moves forward. The interviews continue. The journey of my enlightenment through living is my sherpa.