If introductory paragraphs described my state-of-being in its entirety, a sense of despair would resonate unapologetically. If writing from a place of inner turmoil and desperation helps to relieve even the smallest amount of anxiety; I am willing to give it a try. I generally don’t like to admit that frailness of spirit and hurt feelings are found here, but I’m well aware that denial won’t lessen the agony either. Knowing that the key to recovery is finding a way to hold my head up high; is of little comfort. I don’t naively ignore my struggle with the ever present world called reality, but I believe with certainty that there is good reason to believe it will improve.
If clarity could be derived without trudging through trials and tribulations, it wouldn’t be of any advantage. I can’t help but consider how hopeless life would be if it was lived with my own self-fulfillment as its primary objective. How then does a person walk the tightrope between what is and what they imagine life could be? I don’t rightly know if an immediate answer could be given. It would however, be absurd to argue the irrefutable significance of discovering the reason for living each and every day.
If circumstances were different would they cheat me out of my destiny? I never liked the idea that everything happens for a reason, because sometimes things happen that are simply illogical. We struggle so immensely with the idea that there might not be a reasonable explanation. I do, however, believe that every experience in life can be learned from and ultimately will shape who I was destined to be. It is possible that I may have contradicted myself, but I’ve never yet had someone prove absolutely that every decision in life is “free choice” or that it was “predestined”. Before this becomes a theological debate, perhaps it would be wise to weigh the differences between contentment and complacency. When should dissatisfaction be associated with your two-weeks notice? At this point, pretending to know all of the answers would be self defeating, so I will conclude by saying that, when the rubber hits the road, I refuse to be left sitting on the sidelines. I’ve been called to action, and am reporting for duty, Sir!
"All men dream: but not equally.
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds,
Wake in the day to find that it was a vanity:
But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men,
For they may act their dreams out with open eyes, to make it possible."
-Lawrence of Arabia
"How then does a person walk the tightrope between what is and what they imagine life could be?"
ReplyDeleteTo walk the tightrope between what is and what you imagine life could be, would be to always look forward at what you want it to be and never look back on what is. Or you may just fall off.
If you only focus on what is you will never see what it could be. So you will never bother walking the rope.
If I see a blank piece of paper I am not gonna see it as it is and leave it like that. I am gonna take a pen and draw on it to make it a cool picture, or fold it up into a paper airplane and make it whatever I want it to be.
So maybe life is like a big blank paper. We either see it for what it is a big boring blank paper, or we make it into something we want it to be.
That is just my idea, so don't take my word for it.
Hey. I think people usually don't have any trouble dreaming big, but in order to get where they want to go certain things must be in order. For example if you want to be a doctor... you need to go to medical school. The problem is that unless they change their present reality and take steps towards their goal, one misstep jeopardizes everything . I would also agree that to get from where you are to where you want to be is a balancing act... everything in the present (the rope) being held together by the past and the future. Just because you are moving forward... doesn't negate the importance of the past.
ReplyDeleteI like the analogy of the paper. We get to choose how and what the end result will be. However, it is also true that in order to create art/music there are mathematical rules that apply. If a person is motivated by whims and feelings... it is quite probable that they will arrive at the end of their life and proclaim it to be a disaster.
In order to create art/music there is no mathematical rules. Unless you doing it for fame or money then the goal is not the music or art its self. Its the how to get what I want from it by applying mathematical rules.
ReplyDeleteBut if you doing it not for money or fame just for the love of it there are no ruels there is just you and your instument/paint brush painting/playing to your hearts content.
There is a path from where you are and where you want to be, that path is decided by you. Whether you see your path as easy, or hard as in a balancing rope that makes you afraid to fall is Decided by you. If you see life as a challenge and skill, then walk the rope to measure how skilled or lucky you are. If you see life as easy with no worries, then your path becomes a stream that takes you to where you want to go without even paddling. So how we see life, is how we live it.
Again I may talk as if I know something but, These are just Ideas that I have yet to explore. And let people know what they think of them.
I think Life is based on beliefs and you live by those beliefs. If you believe life is hard it shall be, if you believe it is easy then it shall be.
I not trying to make you be lazy and stop working hard. I am just suggesting what if our life is based on our own beliefs / thoughts?
Maybe one does not practice walking on a rope just for skill but to boost his confidence so that he believes he can do it so he will.
One who practices for many hours will still fall if he believes he can not do it.
I really like the last sentence that you wrote.
ReplyDelete"One who practices for many hours will still fail if he believes he can not do it."
Sometimes believing things will get better, still doesn't change them. There are so many instances where people have been wronged, and have done nothing to deserve it. The point is this, that life can sometimes bring about circumstances that are too big for us. It is in those situations where we are forced to trust that God will fight the battle on our behalf.
Usually when some one is wronged it means things are not going his way. And you would expect things to go your way by doing everything right. So when you do everything right. As you do nothing out of the ordinary based on your daily every day life, and then suddenly something bad happens. Most will say I did not deserve it. But That could be a positive thing that people do not understand. Meaning When something bad happens you experience contrast and ask for more. Meaning when you are sick your wanting of being healthy becomes greater and thus you become stronger. That is why people say it is the journey that counts not the destination. If you only cared about the destination why would you go away for holidays, knowing your destination would just lead you back home? SO you would say why leave when I am just gonna come back. You go away for the journey that is why. We would not have much wanting if there was nothing happening that we would not want, then desire would not be born. So when something bad happens your desire for something more increases then you expand your life experience. I do not think we came here to just sit down and stay put so nothing will happen. I think we came here to experience many contrasts so we can expand our experiences and minds so we can always want more.
ReplyDeleteSo lets get back on track. You first feel you have no control because something bad has happened, that should not have happened based on your experience. Not only do you feel like you have no control, but the circumstance is far greater then you could imagine. So your mind is pretty much in a state of hopelessness. And best way out of that is to take your attention away from that problem so that you have no resistance to it, and start focusing on your wanting instead of your not wanting. A really good way to do that is to know that everything will be all right and taken care of without me doing anything. How do we believe in such a thing? A GOD, God is our minds best friend, for if we believe in a God to take care of a big problem and have strong faith in god that it will be done, we then focus our attention away from the problem and feel much more in control and happy, so now that we are not focused and resisting the problem the problem will be solved. The real problem is you were not in a state of joy but now you are much closer to it. Once your head is cleared you can now focus on what you want with a positive mind and achieve it. At least that is what I think.
I should reword that one part, God is not always our minds best friend for it can also be our worst friend. Meaning the idea could bring hope but also fear and suffering. To me the concept of God should be a positive thing and have nothing negative attached to it that would lead to fear, may it be a devil or anything else.
ReplyDeleteReligion is a huge subject that has been talked about millions of times I rather not bother talking about it. All I say is believe in what makes you happy, for that is the right belief.
As far as I am able to gather... there is no evidence that believing in God would lead to fear or suffering. Faith is the opposite of fear... God is good. Pain and suffering only resulted from humans trying to be God. Can you imagine a world with no rules... where anybody could do whatever made them feel happy? The bible talks about the pleasure of sin... it's attractive... but it will ruin your life.
ReplyDeleteI know you didn't want to discuss religion... and that is fine. Religion is a set of rules or actions that accompany a belief... so in one sense we haven't even touched on any of that yet.
You are right, there is usually something good to be found, if you look past the bad. We were talking about the authority of the believer at youth group. I know that the concept might be foreign, but all of the power of heaven is accessible to us. The more closely we align ourselves with God... so will he also align himself with us.
What I mean by God leading to fear and suffering is that the idea of being a devil or hell will put fear in ones heart, and to have some one change there ways and not be who they were ment to be based on ruels is suffering, may it be because of his skin color or sexuality. This is not done by God himself. This is from ones own mind. Its the idea that provokes it. As in people telling others they will burn in hell forever. Would you not think that would lead to fear? In other words the whole idea of a hell is flawed, based on where its coming from.
ReplyDeleteAnd you say "what would a world be like if there were no ruels and any one could do whatever made them feel happy?"
Well it would be the exact world you are living in. Man made ruels, and we come to an argeement with thoes ruels and live by them. You think if they made a ruel as we are not allowed to speak we would follow it? We are free to do whatever we wish. Some choose not too, other are told they can not or allowed too ect. Most are raised thinking you must work hard and suffer to get anywhere. So they choose that path instead. So we have the choice to do whatever we want but most believe they can not. As I was thinking before life is based on your thoughts. What you think your live by. Well at least that is what I am theoryizing about. Meaning I do not want to say it is true. Since what are we without thought?
Are you suggesting that by believing there is a God, that you must also fear the devil? I think the opposite is true. The world is the dominion of Satan... and when we understand that Jesus defeated sin and death... no longer does Satan does have any authority.
ReplyDeleteWe are free to do whatever we please, but that doesn't mean that we should do everything that we are capable of doing. You are right... in the sense that laws are inevitably going to be broken. Which is why religion is flawed. Our righteousness is only achieved through grace, and not by our labours, suffering, abstinence from certain things... or anything like that.
To answer your question... without thought we are dead.
No I do not suggest u must fear a devil or whatever if u believe in a god. I saying most push others into believing in a God threw fear. Or They would use some kind of fear tactic saying bad things will not happen if you do not follow the rules of the religion you are in or have chosen. Meaning People create consequences for actions either in the after life or now based on what they choose to believe. And that leads up to the big debate about why a lot of people do not like religion as you are taught it while very young not being able to choose, and most say brain washed into these ideas that limit your life experience which is a bit of an exaggeration of course but that is the idea.
ReplyDeleteAnd just because we are free to do anything does not mean we will do everything. I do not paint or play instruments every day because I am capable, I do them cause it is what makes me feel good and what I like to do. So that is what I meant by our destiny is decided by what things in life make us feel good. Thus we choose those things. No matter what rules are given to us we find a way around to do what we were in a sense born to do. Only thing stopping us from doing what we want is our selves. So I think.
I think I can agree to that... haha. Thanks for your thoughts/input... I really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI find it difficult to live a satisfying life. i have yet to learn that skill. however i imagine that the best way to do that would be to learn from the past. take what good you can from it. live in the present. and plan for the future..... a quote from the kung fu panda movie
ReplyDelete"Yesterday is history, Tommorrow's a mystery but today is a gift, that is why it is called the present."
I don't know how I can allow myself to agree with a DreamWorks cartoon... but there's a first for everything I guess...
ReplyDeleteI think that in a certain sense you should never allow yourself to be satisfied. If there is not a hunger to experience new things... then there is no reason to wake up in the morning. I know i've taken one side of the equation and exaggerated it. If you go the other way... and talk about nothing ever being good enough... then that can be very depressing.
How then do you find a place where you are happy and confident that you are exactly where you are supposed to be? I think that quite possibly it has nothing to do with an emotional state, but rather the daily triumphs and failures by which we are challenged to keep moving forward.
You can be satisfied with things, within your life , but to be satisfied with life its self you would then be dead. That is the reason why we keep living, growing, and expanding. Because we can never become satisfied with it. If we were satisfied with the earth we would not bother looking into space. Meaning we will always create new wantings as we live on. So its a never ending process. We can never get it done never heh.
ReplyDelete