Till All Are One

Iconic and legendary voice actor Peter Cullen once said, ~Everybody’s going to approach a character differently, depending on what they bring to it on their intellectual level or their feelings from their heart and soul.~ Let me ask you this question, when I say the name Peter Cullen what automatically comes to mind? If you answered being the voice of Optimus Prime then you’d be correct. Yet he wasn’t just the voice of Optimus Prime as he did other voiceover work to his credit we heard growing up but didn’t realize it was him until we found out years later. In any case, as a voiceover actor Peter was most definitely well-known for being one of the most recognizable voices involving an 80’s cartoon character, especially for those of us who grew up watching and listening to his voice whenever Transformers came on every Saturday morning on television.

Without a doubt, Peter Cullen was and still is considered an important part of not only pop culture, but a generation of childhoods spanning from the 80, 90’s and all the way into the 2000’s. For it’s a thought provoking situation indeed concerning how truly prolific one man’s voice truly was to where just hearing it caused you to be instantly brought back to your inner child. I think it’s safe to say we still have goosebumps from the 1986 Transformers movie where you felt the conviction and determination in Cullen’s voice when Optimus made a brief speech before he transformed and rolled out to make his presence known to the Decepticons who attacked the Autobot base. Unfortunately, it was that same heroic gravitas in Cullen’s voice that we collectively mourned a fallen Optimus moments before and after his death, which continues to be impactful to this day.

As I said before, he wasn’t just the voice of Optimus Prime as he did other voiceover work to his credit we heard growing up but didn’t realize it was him until we found out years later. One of those aforementioned voiceovers was the Cartoon Network/Toonmai in regards to Dragonball Z promos, Sailor Moon, Voltron, etc. and it was totally obvious it was Pete’s voice. Truth be told, many of us weren’t really paying attention as kids and were far more concerned with the actions of cartoons we were watching than who was voicing the characters. Yet, now as adults we have a greater appreciation of the legacy he provided and left behind so much so he unequivocally became the standard bearer for any voice actor attempting to even try to step into the shoes, so to speak, in voicing Optimus Prime. Thinking about it further, whether it was voicing Prime’s voice or doing promo voiceovers for Toonami he was always able to get you excited and hyped.

If you think about it, if it wasn’t for Peter’s brother, Larry Cullen, Optimus Prime would have never existed at all. Captain Larry Cullen was a Vietnam veteran who served in Vietnam as a combat infantry officer and was the inspiration for the voice of Optimus. For the most part, Peter basically asked his brother’s advice on how a real hero should sound and brother responded by letting him know to avoid being an aggressively, loud “Hollywood hero”. Instead, what Larry advised him to be was “strong enough to be gentle” and the rest as they say is history. Of course, what Larry meant was his younger brother voiced him as a character not meant to be a mythical hero, but a guy. A guy with unbreakable morals. Unfortunately, his brother/Optimus ended up turning into a mythical hero with absolute legendary status due to what happened in the 1986 animated movie.

In retrospect, there is an old saying that basically goes: never meet your heroes. Personally speaking, I was fortunate enough to meet my childhood hero and was able to get a photo-op with Peter Cullen when I attended Megacon in 2019. Sadly, Peter passed away on August 26, 2006 and his death impacted generations of kids who grew up repeating/quoting Optimus Prime or other characters he voiced like Monterray Jack in the 1st season of Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers. The brief moment I was able to speak with him during my photo-op at Megacon in 2019 I felt like a little kid again. Ultimately, Mr. Cullen will never be forgotten and will continue to resonate and live on for future generations of fans to eventually discover an awesome individual who highly influenced pop culture unbeknownst to him. In the end, I leave you with the following 4 words that are seemingly a meaningful message bringing us together as fans: Till all are one.

Under A Microscope

Author Makokoma Mokhonoana once said, ~The mind is inclined to zoom in on your problem, or few problems, to an extent that you cannot see your many blessings.~ Let me ask you this question, are you the type of person who can’t help but place certain aspects of your life in between glass slides in order to not only look at, but zoom in and magnify the issues/problems one may be compulsively/obsessively focusing on using our own internal metaphorical microscope otherwise known as the human heart. True, both have the innate and utmost capability of looking deep into the soul. For it's certainly a thought provoking situation indeed as a person tries to “see” and find something they haven’t seen before through the different microscope lenses of their own heart in a more mental/emotional way rather than a visual one in regard to what went wrong, especially when it involved their dating/love life.

Without a doubt, one of the main things a microscope is able to do is help you explore and discover a far greater world you’re unable to see with the naked eye. I think it’s safe to say and something we can all agree on is that even though we’re unable to see with the naked eye, love does actually exist. Unfortunately, what also exists is utter heartbreak and its existence is capable of causing you to relentlessly zoom in on and magnify the worst parts of what you’re trying not to focus on whether you like it or not. A type of tortuous, self-inflicted punishment in which one possibly feels as if they are deserving of. Sadly, the lens of a far greater and brighter world you ended up “seeing” through/into in the beginning switched to a much darker lens. Why? What it primarily comes down to was the unfortunate painful experience of being“blinded” due to always seeing any potential relationship with rose colored lenses, which is considered a mistake.

As I said before, a person tries to “see” and find something they haven’t seen before through the different microscope lenses of their own heart in a more mental/emotional way rather than a visual one in regard to what went wrong, especially when it involved their dating/love life. Women, more so than men, have the propensity in focusing on and enlarging whatever deep-seated unresolved issues/problems in hopes of “seeing” something so much so they end up gradually causing/experiencing some immensely painful mental/emotional “eye strain”. Thinking about it further, the “eye strain” previously mentioned can most definitely be a representation of anger, fear, hatred, embarrassment, disgust, shame, dread, anxiety, doubt, worry, sadness, frustration, bitterness, disappointment, utter contempt, etc. So, the question remains how long have you been suffering and dealing with “strained eyes”?

If you think about it, when you’re looking into the internal microscope of your heart pertaining to certain aspects of our own life such as one’s own dating/love life, it can feel as if you're constantly placing one’s thoughts, feelings, emotions in between glass slides labeled either love/true love, dating, marriage, etc. Of course, each aforementioned glass slide was or possibly still is being thoroughly examined with a number of different microscope lenses, so to speak. In other words, trying to shed light on any new points of view you haven’t taken or used. Oftentimes, when looking through the number of different microscope lenses of your heart you can find yourself totally blinded because the light can be shining too bright. Why? Essentially, that blinding light of being “all in your thoughts/feeling” truly left you unable to see the red flags that were clearly seen by those who didn’t need a light to see through the lens of a microscope.

Thomas George Bonny said, ~What is seen with the microscope depends not only upon the instrument and the rock-section, but also upon the brain behind the eye of the observer. Each of us looks at the section with the accumulated experience of his past study.~ In retrospect, one of the biggest challenges in matters of the heart is looking logically and objectively through the lenses of your brain rather than the emotionally rose colored lenses one’s always looking through. Ultimately, it’s going to take a tremendous amount of time/patience to make the mental/emotional adjustments needed to truly get a clear understanding of the image of yourself instead of who you’re trying to focus on. In the end, when you’re constantly living your love/dating life under a microscope it’s best to step away and observe your surroundings because you never know who you’re missing out on if you’re constantly looking through the lens of your own heart.

Hear Me

Someone once said, ~You’re voice matters. Even if your hands shake and your heart races, speak up. Your thoughts, feelings and truth deserve to be heard. The world doesn’t just need loud voices, it needs your voice, your story, your perspective. Don’t let fear silence you. Stand tall, share your truth and believe in your words. You never know who needs to hear what only you can say.~ If you think about it, a number of individuals have dealt or are dealing with some sort of mental, emotional, and/or physical trauma to the point where there’s a tremendous amount of difficulty in putting into words what one is going/went through without completely falling apart. For it’s certainly an inner roller coaster type of situation indeed when someone has so much to say, but can’t quite seem to have it properly articulated, which is considered an absolutely overwhelming experience to say the least.

Without a doubt, when a person goes through some painful inner turmoil it can in some ways feel like you’re trying to keep your head above water while dealing with wave after wave crashing over you. Essentially, the crashing waves represent something unresolved you’ve possibly been struggling to overcome so much so it has felt like you’re constantly being slapped by the hauntingly cold, watery reminder of finally bringing some much needed closure to those issues. Although you’re doing your best in the beginning in “treading water” and working things out, the weight of your thoughts, feelings, and/or emotions can certainly become too much to handle, causing one to only go under, but gradually sink deeper within one's self. Of course, when you’re sinking deeper within yourself in the darker it gets to the point where it feels like you’re mentally/emotionally drowning, in a manner of speaking.

As I said before, when you’re sinking deeper within yourself the darker it gets to the point where it feels like you’re mentally/emotionally drowning, in a manner of speaking. Anger, hatred, embarrassment, disgust, shame, dread, anxiety, doubt, worry, insecurity, sadness, frustration, bitterness, disappointment, utter contempt, etc. can most definitely become an immensely heavy weight that ends up dragging you down into the suffocating silence of utter darkness. Thinking about it further, for those who are experiencing or have experienced it, an individual’s fight or flight instincts kick in thus causing you to want to scream and make one’s voice heard, but you’re unable to because of that inner voice of negativity keeping you from speaking up/out. What it primarily comes down to is being afraid to open up and the fear of being judged leaving you sinking father, as well as deeper within to protect yourself.

Let me ask this question to those who are still dealing or have dealt with their own form of trauma, how have you been able to work through it has it made you a significantly stronger individual? I think it’s safe to say more people have found different ways of healing by revealing/sharing the trauma they've suffered by either writing a book, talking about it online like on a podcast, performing a one person stage play, singing it in a song, dancing, etc. For the most part, it’s about facing and taking control of what/who your most afraid of instead of the fear taking control of you. Oftentimes. by putting it out into the ether you’re in a sense healing so much so you’re able to for all intents and purposes swim out of the cold darkness back into the warm light of hope. However, what none of us realize is there are people out there who are trying to “swim” out of the same darkness you were able to gradually emerge from and finally have your voice be heard.

Maggie Kahn said, ~Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind - even if your voice shakes.~ In retrospect, one of the hardest things in life is being able to face and confront the trauma you’re most afraid of, which can be deemed a sink or swim moment. A moment that’s either a positively bright turning point in which you’re slowly but surely rising out of the deep dark abyss of negatively holding you down or doing nothing at all, whereby giving up and sinking any chance of making your voice be known for all to hear. Ultimately, there are far more people rooting for you rather than against you and they are the ones who will always support you by throwing a lifeline whenever you need it the most. In the end, it’s those people and others you may not know who will forever be grateful/appreciative/thankfyul because you decided to speak up after wondering to yourself if anyone was actually willing or cared enough to hear me.

It Just Makes Sense

Maggie Lawson’s Psych character Juliet O’Hara once said, ~I think, maybe, the best things, the richest things aren't supposed to come easily, and that sometimes the moments that make the most sense happen when everything else doesn't.” Without a doubt, when it comes to matters of the heart in regard to a truly worthwhile, loving relationship it doesn’t come easily or end up not making any kind of sense whatsoever. Yet, does it ever really ever make sense knowing the more times you find yourself trying to figure it out it drives you utterly insane. For it can most definitely be an insanely confusing and frustrating situation indeed as one often struggles in holding on to the hope of actually achieving the dream come true of meeting someone who is able to completely balance you in every way, which is considered an absolute rarity these days.

As I previously mentioned before, it can be an insanely confusing and frustrating situation indeed as one often struggles in holding on to the hope of actually achieving the dream come true of meeting someone who is able to completely balance you in every way, which is considered an absolute rarity these days. Unfortunately, what isn’t a rarity are the past relationships in which you’ve been left totally unbalanced. I think it’s safe to say we’ve all struggled mentally and emotionally in keeping hope alive knowing full well one’s faith in it has been on life support or has died because the dating scene isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Why? What it primarily comes down to is the lack of a genuinely real connection and communication that is unfortunately bypassed all too quickly due in part to people wanting to experience instant gratification.

If you think about it, each one of us is experiencing or has experienced scratching our own heart, so to speak, because of how easily we can complicate things, especially who is standing in front of us. In some ways, it’s like an itch you’re trying to scratch but you’re unable to reach it and the more you attempt to scratch it you’re driven absolutely crazy. Thinking about it further, it’s the crazy, nonsensical moments/situations we put ourselves in by overcomplicating how we’re thinking/feeling in such a neurotically mental and/or emotional way thus tying the inside of our own heart all in knots, in a manner of speaking. Of course, the question remains on whether you’re still feeling that itch you’re wanting so desperately to reach out and scratch or is it now gone because you’ve finally got help in making sense of your own heart?

Let me ask you this question, how many times in your life you felt like you were bountifully rich and wealthy in a strong, worthwhile relationship only to find your heart was not only “robbed”, but left dead broke. Although you feel like you’re dead broke, there is actually something you don’t really want to find yourself in an unfortunate situation in which you’re trying to make sense of or focusing on what you possibly have plenty of like anger, fear, hatred, embarrassment, disgust, shame, dread, anxiety, doubt, worry, sadness, frustration, bitterness, disappointment, utter contempt, etc. However, it’s when you meet someone you're so richly deserving of who doesn’t selfishly push you to move on for their own needs and unselfishly gives back by having the utmost patience in letting you work through and making sense of any difficult issues the world seems to stop spinning within your heart.

In retrospect, when the world within a person's heart goes topsy turvy it’s hard to make heads or tails of what you’re mentally and emotionally going through. Hey, it’s natural to feel that way knowing full well one’s journey for true happiness in regard to a lasting relationship will most definitely experience a tremendous amount of hardships. Ultimately, it's those same hardships you’re facing that you'll actually be appreciative for because they’re considered eye opening lessons to be learned, especially with someone who somehow has the ability in helping navigate your inner heart struggles. In the end, all it ever takes is time, as well as patience until the moment everything within the world of your heart becomes clear as day and if the reason is because of a guy/girl you’ll finally say in your head or out loud the following 4 words: it just makes sense.

Voice In My Head

NZ Kaminsky once said, ~Negative inner talk is like an unsolicited marketer or a scammer. Once you engage, you’re doomed. You’ll get pulled into a never-ending discussion and be lucky to escape without feeling completely drained.~ Let me ask you this question, do you truly believe each one of us can end up becoming our own worst enemy, especially when we’re constantly in our head? For it can most definitely be a mentally draining situation indeed when you’re heavily involved in one’s internal dialogue, which can certainly cause anyone to experience a plethora of mixed emotions such as anxiety, anger, fear, hatred, embarrassment, disgust, shame, dread, doubt, worry, insecurity, sadness, frustration, bitterness, disappointment, utter contempt, etc.

Without a doubt, the inner voice we all hear in our head has the ability to cause us to second guess any move we’re thinking about making, especially when it comes to matters of the heart pertaining to the dating scene. In some aspect, it’s like having our inner voice relentlessly poking our heart with a stick and questioning whether or not the right decision is being made, which can drive a person to the brink of insanity. Thinking about it further, the one thing we don’t want to end up doing is hesitate, which is a mistake. Why? Essentially, it leads to an internal conversation that involves talking yourself out of something potentially positive because we’re not only overtaken by fear, but by the loud, negative voice of self criticism.

As I mentioned before, it can most definitely be a mentally draining situation indeed when you’re heavily involved in one’s internal dialogue, which can certainly cause anyone to experience a plethora of mixed emotions. I think it’s safe to say we’ve all done or are doing it to the point where it ends up becoming a tortuous form of self sabotage in regard to either our personal and/or professional lives. In other words, the painful torture of overthinking a particular situation so much so there’s a back and forth discussion with our inner voice. Of course, it’s a discussion in which it may seemingly look all cool, calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside it’s incredibly loud/noisy in a mentally chaotic way.

For the question can be asked: when was the last time you self sabotaged yourself because you listened to your inner voice and did you have any unfortunate regrets because of it? Oftentimes, it’s the scenarios we’ve created by imagining the worst inevitably resulting in a ruined moment/situation because of something said or done thus causing you to want to kick yourself. True, our lives would be so much simpler and far less annoying if there was an actual switch that would automatically turn off the voice of negativity in order to avoid hearing, listening, as well as speaking it aloud. What it primarily comes down to is not letting the inner voice win and you do that by taking control of not just the way you’re thinking, but how as well.

In retrospect, one of the biggest and greatest challenges in life is trying to block out the inner voice of negative thinking to where you’re possibly experiencing a Smeagol-like existential mental crisis of sorts. Hey, on any given day we all act like everything is fine and normal but the reality of it all is there is a tremendous amount of difficulty in keeping ourselves from mentally spiraling. Oftentimes, we don’t know what’s going on with someone’s life until you actually sit down to talk and they start mentally unpacking, so to speak, leading them to opening up emotionally. In the end, to those of who are facing/going through an overwhelming mental battle of negativity just repeat the following words: I will not listen to the voice in my head.

A Certain Point of View

Claude Levi-Strauss once said, ~Art lies halfway between scientific knowledge and mythical or magical thought, often through the lens of craftsmanship.~ Without a doubt, aspects of our lives and the world around us can most definitely be viewed on life’s tapestry in a seemingly artful way. It’s just a matter of being able to not only have a creative open mind and imagination, but at the same time find a bit of reality concerning the situation as well. What do I mean? Essentially, there are a number of art and movement styles that have the ability to depict the overall landscape of different areas of life. Granted, it may not be viewed the same way by the viewpoint of others since every individual has their own interpretation of what he/she is looking at with their very own eyes when it primarily involves life itself.

Let me ask you this question, what is the first thing that comes to mind when I say the name Jackson Pollack? If you answered Abstract Expression you’re correct. Pollack’s journey of his unique style of drip technique and/or splashing paint onto canvas is truly interesting to the point where the finished product leaves or has left one wondering what they’re looking at. Thinking about it further, it’s the same way with the seemingly “abstract expressionist” friendships we’ve created with our best buds/gal pals and individuals looking from the outside in don’t really or aren’t able to fully understand the uniquely dynamic bond shared so much so they stand there questioning, as well as trying to make sense of what doesn’t make sense at all to them.

As I previously mentioned before, every individual has their own interpretation of what he/she is looking at with their very own eyes when it primarily involves life itself, especially when it comes to matters of the heart in regards to love/true love. Women, more so than men, have the tendency to exude a more romantic expressionist outlook on strong, worthwhile relationships where the purpose is emotion over reason. In other words, women “see” the tapestry of the potential for true happiness with their heart rather than thinking logically, which can certainly be troublesome for their own heart. What it primarily comes down to is taking a step back in order to visualize the bigger picture within, so to speak, instead of taking a real close look at it.

If you think about it, realism in art and in life as it pertains to one’s professional working career are synonymous with each because they both do their best in showing the truth. I think it’s safe to say “Nighthawks” is one of the most famous paintings depicting realism in art and life, which was done by Edward Hopper. It portrays four people in a downtown diner late at night as viewed through the diner's large glass window. The light coming from the diner illuminates a darkened and deserted urban streetscape. For the most part, each one of us sees ourselves sitting in that diner as it is a representation of after working late into the night to climb the quintessential ladder of success then decompressing by grabbing something to eat afterwards.

Oscar Wilde said, “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.~ In retrospect, art and life can either be breathtakingly beautiful, chaotically messy, or both. True, every person has quite possibly seen a reflection or a mirror image of their own life in a work of art in whatever form or style. Of course, its subject as well because it boils down to a matter of perspective and just like art having layers on a tapestry there can be a tremendous amount of mentally, emotionally, and possibly spiritual impactful layers to one’s own life too. In the end, whether those artful layers of life are considerably complicated and complex, thought provoking and truly enlightening, or both there are no wrong answers because they come from a certain point of view.

Win, Lose or Draw (1st Yodaism of 2026)

Someone once said, ~Life is often compared to a game of tic-tic-toe to highlight themes of strategy, rapid decision making, and navigating win or losses. It requires planning, adapting to unexpected moves, and learning from each turn, as it is a game with no rewind button.~ If you think about it, life and the game of tic-tac-toe are synonymous with each other as each one of have tried or are trying to figure out not only sound strategy, but in what particular direction to take when it comes to anticipating the next move in hopes of achieving challenging wins rather than losses. For it’s a thought provoking situation indeed in finding ourselves making determined moves on the metaphorical 9 square tic-tac-toe board of life knowing there are potential obstacles blocking us in any number of directions in reach our goals/dreams

As I said before, we can certainly find ourselves making determined moves on the metaphorical 9 square tic-tac-toe board of life knowing there are potential obstacles blocking us in any number of directions in reaching our goals/dreams. Of course, we can be discouraged by those obstacles to where our focus is lost or remain calmly focused by showing we’re able to quickly adapt when life unfortunately blocks our path to potential success. Oftentimes, the path to potential success in life can purely happen by absolute pure luck or through careful observation of the entire board, in a manner of speaking. What it primarily comes down to is taking advantage of the opportunity in making the first move whereby setting the overall tone in controlling the board without putting any pressure on yourself whatsoever.

Without a doubt, there are times while playing everyone’s favorite childhood game you’ll find yourself not winning or losing because more often than not it will end up at a draw/stalemate. I think it’s safe to say we’ve all experienced life’s draws/stalemates when you have to start over in order to figure out another way/angle to create a new path to possible success. In other words, going back to the beginning and figuring out why going in this or that direction didn’t necessarily work out, which was hopefully turned into a positive lesson learned. For the most part, when faced with a draw/stalemate in life may potentially be re-establishing success in friendships pertaining to one’s gal pals/best buds, matters of the heart in regards to relationships/marriage/dating scene, working career involving a promotion and/or a new job altogether.

Let me ask this question in regards to playing the game of tic-tac-toe, does making the first movie in the game of tic-tac-toe most definitely matter? My answer is yes. Why? The reason is because it sets the overall tone and it’s usually done by placing the X or O representing our aforementioned goals/dreams in the center square. Thinking about it further, when you’ve made the first move you’re strongly focused and determined to control the direction of where you’re wanting to go in life. However, the center square isn’t always the first choice made and the X/O is placed either in the corner or middle squares, which makes it a uniquely unorthodox direction to take in hopes of achieving more life wins than losses. Hey, others may not like or understand how you’re playing it but if it makes sense to you then by all means you do you.

In retrospect, there are countless life lessons in a seemingly simple childhood game of tic-tac-toe and if you think there aren't any then you really need to take a step back to actually see what you’re truly missing. Essentially, one of those life lessons is whatever you think you can’t do, there’s always a better move you can make unless it’s too late. As previously mentioned, tic-tac-toe there is no rewind button so make the move count and if you made a mistake there’s no point in dwelling on it because life never goes exactly as planned. So, don’t give up and start over with the knowledge you've gained from what you've learned. In the end, trust me when I say you'll eventually see a clear, directional path thus making the move life doesn't see coming and whether you win, lose or draw at least you took a chance/risk without having any regrets whatsoever.