Interview with Richard Taylor Reader Views welcomes Richard Lee Taylor, author of the spiritual memoir “My Swim with the Sharks.” Richard is being interviewed by Juanita Watson, Assistant Editor of Reader Views. Juanita: Thanks for talking with us today Richard. We are excited to hear more about your unique and inspirational memoir “My Swim with the Sharks.” Would you start by telling us about the life journey you tell in your book?
Juanita: What inspired you to turn your life story into a book? Richard: Well Juanita, after all the various experiences I've been through in my life I felt inspired to write about them, and hopefully help all the others who are in the same boat I was. I want to let them know there is hope. But I couldn't have done it without my soulmate. Our meeting was literally a match made in heaven. She is left handed as am I, and her middle name is the same as mine, Lee. Now this was no accident or coincidence. They don't really exist. There is a plan and a purpose for everything that happens to your life. Some lesson to be learned. Juanita: When did you become an alcoholic/addict yourself, and what effect did your addictions have on your life? What was your mindset/lifestyle? Richard: It was when I was about twenty five. At least that’s when I really started having fall-out from it. I was married at the age of eighteen. For the first eight years of my twelve year incarceration, oh I'm sorry, I meant marriage, I was able to make my reality survivable by smoking pot. I say survivable now because I have learned that back then I suffered from depression, and I did what I did to survive. But that was tricky because my wife of then didn't like it. When I stop and reflect on it, I now see she had a control thing going on with her. Anyway, we had moved to a neighborhood with weekend partiers. She seemed okay with drinking, so drink I did. That's when my life turned into a living hell. Four years later came divorce #1. A few DUI's and a rehab later, I meet my second wife. For the nine years of that one I stayed pleasingly numb on pot. That's when I started thinking I wasn't really an alcoholic. I started back up with just a few beers, but that soon changed and I'd picked up right where I had left off. That turned into divorce #2. I move out into an apartment. Now this is when my life really takes a spin. Richard: Juanita, I had discovered that my friends were smoking crack right there in the shop at work. One of them turned me on to a hit of it and that's when things became clear of what was happening to my friends and co-workers. I had spent a good part of my life with addiction and knew it was not a road worth traveling. I couldn't let them go down that path. I had to do something. I went home that night and contacted the DEA and Sheriffs narcotics department. You have to read the book to find out all the details, but essentially they used me to make a bust. They had promised me rehab for the info I was able to get for them, but after the bust they just hung me out to dry. I had lost everything by trying to help them. My job included. You have just got to read the book. It explains everything. So here I am out on the streets addicted to cocaine now and I can't believe the things I do to get the drug. My dad gets me to move in with a woman friend of his thinking she can help me. She helps me into being her toy-boy is what she did. I'm at a loss. The only thing I could think of to do was to commit a crime so the authorities would have to take me off the streets. So what I did was to take some of this lady's jewelry and pawn it. Then I went and turned myself in. I was given one of their public "pretenders" and he managed to get me a ninety day stay in prison for them to decide if I was a criminal or not. Juanita, all this started from me trying to help my friends and at the same time help society get at the source of this drug. What was I thinking? Juanita: How do you feel today about the justice system, and the tactics that were used against you? Richard: Good question Juanita. I've learned that these agencies aren't really concerned with getting to the source and stopping it there. There's money in drugs, whether it be for the dealers or the agencies. If the agencies stopped it at the source then there wouldn't be any more need for the agency. I believe that's their line of thinking. By making all of these smaller busts they get to confiscate the money, which can be of a huge proportionate amount. I've also come to understand the real meaning of the word justice. Justice is societies word for the word revenge. When somebody does something bad and are caught we inflict some kind of punishment on them, such as the death penalty, and call that justice when it's not. It's revenge. But Juanita, there's one thing I've learned and I always catch some flak for this because people just find it too hard to believe. We don't die. Jesus came back and showed us that. People say He died for our sins. I don't think so. He showed us there is no death. We shed this physical body we have been using for the experience of life, and then incarnate again to have another experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. People say "well why don't we remember previous lifetimes?" That's because if we remembered them we wouldn't have the full impact of the "experience". That's one of "The All's" great gifts to us. Forgetfulness. Through all of my experiences I have learned the greatest gift there is. That's the miracle of forgiveness. Read "A course in miracles" and you'll understand. Thanks for asking that question Juanita. Juanita: You eventually were released from prison. What was the prison experience like for you, and what life changing event happened after your release? Richard: Well, lets put it this way. If they really put a stop to all the drugs out there, 90% of the population would be gone from the prison. I think the government should put the death penalty for anyone caught dealing drugs, because after all, they are taking that persons life away by getting them hooked on their drug. Most everybody I met out there was in for drugs. They commit crimes to get their drugs. Make the drugs disappear and you put an end to most of the crime taking place today. So after two ninety day evaluations they decide I'm not that bad of a criminal. They let me out on probation. I have to check in with my probation officer once a week. So here I am back in the throes of my depression and my life really sucks. I can't smoke pot to alleviate it because my P.O. ua's me every week. The one thing I "can" do is drink. And drink I do. I manage to get a job and a place to live, but drinking is all I can do to survive. And then it happens. Somebody up there must have seen how bad my life was. So I had a stroke. It was in the plan. Juanita: Richard, you talk about an angel coming to visit and a subsequent physical/mental/spiritual healing. Would you elaborate on what happened? Richard: Yes. After being in the stroke ward of the hospital for about a month not knowing who or where I was, I have a visitor that brings me out of my stroke induced neurosis. People ask me what she looked like, but right at that time I didn't even know who "I" was, let alone anybody else. And I'm not going to embellish the story and say she had wings and floated around. But I do remember a visitor that came at night, and the hospital doesn't let people visit at night. It was after I left the hospital miraculously healed and walking and talking that I finally realized what had really happened. The hospital kept calling me to come and get my boombox. I had never had a boombox. That made me remember my visitor. I put two and two together. How could I walk and talk as if nothing had happened to me. Plus, and this is the real kicker, I was no longer alcoholic. I didn't need anything to survive my reality. The only explanation is that she was an angel. Juanita: What happened in your life after your cathartic spiritual experience? Richard: Many, many miracles occurred. There's not enough space for me to list them all. The biggest one is that I found my soulmate who is now my wife of 5 years. Or she found me. Actually, neither one of us were looking. I have been touched by more than one angel. It's wonderful. That and the fact that I'm not an alcoholic anymore. I've been cured. And they say there is no cure. I'm walking proof that there is. Juanita: Your life transformation has been significant. What are your thoughts/beliefs on change and miracles? Richard: Well Juanita, this experience led me on to research the universe, quantum physics, our reality, and the nature of God, whom I refer to as "The All". I have just published another book called "The Evolving Belief" which tells the story of how things are and how they can be. It's really rather dynamic. It gives us an understanding of just how powerful our beliefs can be when done collectively. Juanita: Would you say that all of the pain, chaos and trauma that you went through was to take you to this point of spiritual understanding? Richard: Oh heavens yes Juanita. I have come to understand that each and everyone of us knew beforehand what we were coming here to experience and learn from it. You know what Jesus really meant when he said "turn the other cheek"? He meant that the person that just slapped you came here to give you the experience. That would be the experience of forgiveness. It's hard to grasp at first, but it helps to know this. I have become grateful for the experiences it has given me. Now I know what it's like to have the shoe on the other foot. Juanita: How has your biological family life changed before and after your transformation? Richard:It's brought my mother and my sisters back into my life. Since my parents divorce when I was ten, my father constantly told me bad stories about them and had me believing it. Thank "The All" for the miracle of my stroke. It reunited us after many years of cruel deception. Juanita: What did you learn from being an addict? Richard: That it's very misunderstood by society. All my life I was shunned for having a disease. I was sick, with nobody to understand. I just didn't wake up one day and decide I wanted to be addicted to something for the rest of my life. These people need help, but instead we lock them up. Do you ever think about how much of your tax dollar goes to running prisons. Last time I heard it was something like 285 dollers per day per inmate. Now isn't that crazy? Juanita: Richard, you have survived through incredible hardships, and now claim to have “found your rainbow.” What does this mean? Richard: Donna, my wife, said that she knew she would find me. She kept getting hints of rainbows either in songs or movies or pictures, and yes, even real rainbows. This is our time to shine and wake everybody up to the "real reality". I've written an article that covers this and posted it on my website. Juanita: What is the message of “My Swim with the Sharks”? Richard: That no matter how bad things are there's always a bright side. To never give up hope. There are people in our lives that play the role of the shark. But not to worry. They're only here to teach us a lesson of one sort or another. It's all a part of the wonderful game called life. It's all a part of the grand illusion. Juanita: Richard, how can readers find out more about you and your endeavors? Richard: They can go to www.r-rainbow.com and read my article. It's an eye-opener and one that sorely needs to be realized. In fact that's the name of it - The Ultimate Realization. There are also links on where to find my books and how to contact me. Juanita: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today Richard. Your journey will serve as great inspiration to readers. Richard: Thank you so much Juanita, for letting me express myself. I guess my main goal is that if this helps somebody, then my mission has been served, although I would love it to help a multitude of people. We'll have to do this again sometime. Cheers. Listen to interview on Inside Scoop Live |
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