When any person leaves a cultural institution, a religious system, an organization or they simply outgrow their present situation, they are given many labels:

• Heretic/Flunky
• Rebel/Renegade
• Stupid/Fool
• Lost or Malcontent

The Herd hates it when when someone strays and becomes liberated. So the assumption is that the leaver is wandering, lost or deficient.

But what if the stray sees something the herd can’t see, or won’t see?

Every advancement in human history came from the stray, not the herd.

There is an existential cry within each one of us that calls us to “come forth” out from institutional power, and the catacombs of dead or inefficient frameworks. If you heed the call, be prepared for an exile.

It was true for the elf who wanted to be a dentist in the story of Rudolph. It is true for those who change political parties, or quit their jobs or drop out of school. If a person becomes unconventional or goes against expectations, it creates a problem for those who hold institutional power.

This blog is all about this. I love how the story of rising up to new life is told within each of us.

Institutions are not bad, but they are limited. They are mere containers. When people confuse the container for its contents, it usually means they have derived their identity from their box.

I believe we were never intended to make a home within any institution. They are there to grow us and send us on way. Spiritually, we were never intended to have a “king” to rule over us, we were made for divine communion and that was supposed to suffice.

Do we need a formal process to relate to the transcendent? Why do people want to control access to this? It’s all about economic, social, racial, and religious power. Liberation is finding our true self even if it means we must walk away from the power that’s giving us a fake ID and a nice life.

This blog talks a lot about theology, religion, faith, truth, and ultimate reality, but my goal is not to make a convert. My goal is to contribute to each of our completion, maturity, and liberation. I won’t offer you a path, a process, or a religion. Your faith will have to be as the Apostle Paul recommends, “Between yourself and God.” That’s good enough for me.

The Exile feels a bit nebulous, disconnected, and ambiguous at times. That’s the experience of you finding your true self and rewriting the malware scripts that have stunted your growth. Stick with it. What you will find is authentic, real, and transformative.

My part through this blog is to ask the hard questions, provide alternative ways to reframe the truth we possess, and to deconstruct those parts that keep us small, stuck, or fake. Perhaps then we can avoid skimming over the depths of our lives and we will learn to see beyond everything.

To sign up for my weekly newsletter, podcast, read my books, watch my video, un-coaching, or contact me at: http://www.kevenwinder.com . I’d love to start a dialogue with you.

k