Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.
– Mohandas K. Gandhi
I feel compelled to mention that you don’t have to choose a narrative, a framework to lend a pattern and meaning to your life.
I thought it went without saying, but generally the things that go without saying make for the most interesting discussions; Highlighting one’s assumptions will do that.
On some level, we all know the stories we tell ourselves aren’t True. That’s why we’re so defensive of them.
And it often seems to be the case that the people who most embody the narrative or the archetype you aspire to are not even aware they are doing so. They are simply being themselves.
It’s a difficult paradox to thread. Do you aspire, or do you simply dwell in the moment, being yourself to the utmost?
I maintain that a supportive, compelling and inspiring narrative is an exceedingly useful tool for firing the imagination and most importantly, for taking you outside of your self imposed limitations.
But after a certain amount of derring-do, you absorb the characteristics you were aspiring to, and you’re simply being.
I wrote earlier that one of the side effects of knowing yourself deeply was that there is rarely any inner turmoil; you simply take the only course that seems correct to you– the straight and narrow, if you will — not because it is the hard way or the easy way or the right way— But because it is the only acceptable way.
But life is cyclical. After awhile, you will scale greater heights, and you’ll have to do some self-work; vision quests, goal setting, seeking inspiration and guidance or whatever is your wont.
And then, holding the vision in your head, you move forward on it. After awhile, it’s instinctual, routine, ritualistic. And then life will throw you another curveball and you’re back in school again.
You’re always going to be somewhere on that cycle of seeing, doing, or being.
When I wrote that post in March, I was Being, and it was good. I was confident, comfortable. There was no inner turmoil about my role or my path because I was centred and grounded in what it meant to be me– even if I couldn’t articulate it.
The last two months have revolved around seeing, truly seeing, digging down deep and noticing what was off-true about my life. And I think I’m just about to tick over into doing. I can feel the potential energy building towards release.
The cycle of renewal is as crucial in our inner lives as it is in the natural world, so don’t fight it or berate yourself. I would go as far as to say that if you’re not cycling, you’re either a bodhisattva or you’re stagnating.
Take a minute in the comments, and tell me, where are you at in your cycle? Seeing, Doing, or Being? And how do you find guidance when you’re in the Seeing mode?
[ssbp]
