'It takes a village to raise a child' - African proverb It's 2023. It's a Saturday and it's in the afternoon as I write this sitting at my dining table at home (the typing and uploading of this essay will be done sitting in front of my Mac Mini later). The sun beams its rays from about 150 million kilometres away and it nurtures and provides sustenance to all forms of life on our planet - Humans, plants and animals thrive in this auspicious configuration. As I sit here and write, I begin to form an idea of what it is that I'm supposed to express. This feeling is aligned with title of this essay : To put one's foot in front of the other. As simple as this statement may or may not sound, I truly believe that understanding simple truths like this make all the difference in one's life. For example, following the non-hurried flow and simplicity of one's breath in and out is fundamentally the nature of our existence. Something which many take for granted, or completely forget about at times. I grew up at a time when there were no handphones. No personal computing. No social media. No Youtube, movies on demand and most of all - No Google. And because of this, we knew nothing about the world we lived in, except for things we read in Encyclopaedias, books, newspapers or through conversing with others. The family functioned as a grounding element, where one derived his/her/their first views of the world. Back then, it was okay not to know everything. There existed things out there that we needed to seek knowledge and experience for. To gain some insight and understanding. You had to work for your meal. So it was a different era. To learn about the world, you had to go out and experience it. And hopefully maintain your sanity at the end of the day. You went home after your explorations about life. The family unit was (and is) supposed to be coherent, sheltered - A safe place. But it also evolves and changes as one's needs (and family units, groups or systems) - change over time. Seasons change. So does character, habits and life choices do so with age, and with the times. New technologies are invented all the time. New energy and ways of working too. Science marches on. I have since then gone through many wonderful (and sometimes uncomfortable) changes, and writing this one the eve of my birthday, serves to highlight a passage of time to the narrative. What have I learnt? I'd like to show you a diagram of what artists' go through when they attempt new work (it's also called The Creative Process, in jest) : Ironically, I think it relates to a lot of other things in life too. It's about how we approach, think and experience things in life. These thoughts circulate (perhaps in mostly the same pattern) whenever we attempt a new task. It happens when we attempt mighty and challenging tasks. It's about beginnings and endings. We all encounter Act 2 : Conflict. At this stage we question our motives. We appear lost and confused. This leads to negative thoughts. I'm not good enough. Who am I trying to fool? I don't know what I'm doing. This sucks. I think it's a natural occurrence, and it's the part of the flow of things. Not knowing, not being able to see into the future is fairly normal; especially when we are confronted with the unknown. When we attempt new things for the first time, of course we don't know what we're doing. Wisdom and resilience comes after the experience, and never before. The point of going through with things is in the challenge. That you are called upon to partake and participate in this thing called life. The premise of all this is evolution. To live a fuller, more expansive life. You are growing and it's painful, no doubt. But change isn't painful, it's the resistance to change that is painful. Resistance comes from within, not externally. How do we find peace and stability in this process? Not overthinking helps. Wu-Wei. Effortless action. And faith. It is the labels that we give to ourselves and others, the thoughts and feelings that we attach ourselves to, that gives these things a sticky feeling. We give these things energy, a form, a name, a feeling - When we don't necessarily have to. There is a biological and chemical thing that happens in our brains when we keep thinking in a certain way for prolonged periods of time. I'm no neuroscientist or doctor, but neural pathways do exist and they carry electrical and biological energy in the process. Stick a metal rod into an orange and you can conduct enough energy to light an LED bulb. While we are governed by these biological, physiological and emotional impulses daily - being human - It would be beneficial to self reflect, meditate upon and study - Our limitations, as well as gifts. That yes, while we may possess biases and blind spots, we also carry in us seeds of creative energy (or waves, if you prefer that visual). We have our own specialties. Some are scientists who learn and discover new things about the earth we live in. Some are doctors that attend to the sick. Some are artists who work with their mediums to express music, writing, dance and art. Some are trained psychologists and they attend to mental and emotional health issues. The list goes on. 'The Well Where We All Go Down To Drink', 60x60 inches, Mixed Media on canvas, 2020 Each person you meet today or in the near future are but parts of the universe waving back at you. It's saying to you, 'Hey, hi!' or 'We are here, right now in the moment and what a great joy it is to see you!' Although, in some deviations the message can differ. Sometimes it's a serene whisper, connection and companionship. Sometimes it's on the other end of the spectrum - something that irks you. Something that makes you angry. Or bamboozles and disrupts your day. Or sometimes it makes you feel uncomfortable. Stressed out. But the premise is always this : It's something that asks for your attention. For your time and awareness. The difference lies in how you perceive it. What is it asking of you? To expand your awareness. Are you seeing and sensing these things from a perspective of fear, lack or understanding and awareness? I think we all intuitively know where we are operating from (if we dare to ask the questions that matter).
Take some time to address this. If you do, don't lump all your troubles into one basket, or funnel all your challenges into one particular moment. Break it down. Ask the question, why? What is it that I need to change and be aware of? Place one foot in front of the other. The destination / end goal is not important. It's how we navigate and walk the path that matters. Everyone has their own core beliefs and values, but I'd like to finish off with a few that resonate with me : With humility, love, abundance, understanding, awareness and camaraderie. Don't let the monkey mind get you.
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