Sonam: Hello Dillon, can you tell us about your book?
Dillon: A State of Mind is a creative non-fiction that begins with my personal account of when I developed mental illness and then evolves after to discussing new and unique understandings and perceptions on reality with the reader. The premise of the book is that with effort in training your mind and developing an imagination, you will elevate your awareness to perceive hidden reality. The book teaches the reader that it takes an acute perception to begin to see divinity in the universe. The book mentions a variety of schools of thought, from religious, philosophical, metaphysical, to social and scientific. In my strategy of writing the book, together I discuss many beliefs to connect them into a common system of perception for the reader to utilize, so that they may better perceive creative reality.
Sonam: Well, that sounds promising. I keep wondering, why did you select this type of content for your book?
Dillon: I understand that I have a rare understanding of reality and the universe, and I see it as my duty to share the information and wisdom I have to offer. Nobody has had the journey that I alone have had, everyone has their own journey. So whatever I can possibly offer others, would be hard for anyone else to imitate. I felt obligated to share my philosophy and understanding of reality. It was an obvious choice for myself to write non-fiction, centering on spirituality and mysticism.
Sonam: That definitely makes the book stand out. So what made you write this book?
Dillon: Having spent around two years of my life experiencing schizoaffective disorder and having episodes, along with myself in character being curious and intellectual, I took advantage of my mental disorder to examine my reality. The years following, I compared and contrasted my experiences with the knowledge I have learned from religion, philosophy, science, etc. I found a common medium between all the information, and I had listened to my strong desire to share it all in writing.
Sonam: Writing a book is no joke, it comes with it's own set of hardships. What were the failures you faced on this journey?
Dillon: By far the hardest challenge as an author that writes spirituality, is trying to ignore my own insecurity when sharing my beliefs. I know a lot of my past experience is irrational in nature, and I know it is important to convey my thoughts in a rational manner that makes sense. I know how much stigma surrounds my specific mental disorder too, so ignoring that and trying to not worry too much about how I appear to others in my writing has been difficult.
Sonam: I just have one more question, do you want to say something to your audience?
Dillon: Do not get hung up on labels and be open-minded. We all have something to share, and we all know at least one thing that nobody else knows. There is no competition between us, the competition is how far we all can go in this universe. My book prepares the reader for the postmodern era. The book is designed to give you valuable insight, to help you evolve past the present condition of humanity. People feel alone and give up. The book here is to empower you to achieve new knowledge, especially when you are completely alone. Stay tuned for my second book that is soon to be released, A State of Nature.