If you're not moving, then you're standing still.
You don't have time to stand still.
Get moving.
I remember my first white water rafting trip when I was still a teenager in high school. I believe it was a chilly weekend in September, on a river nestled amongst the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania. The rains were heavy that year, so the waters were higher than normal, and very fast moving over the rocks. We had been thoroughly briefed on the nature of the beast, and with paddles in hand, we challenged the turbulent waters of the Lehigh river mounted in our six passenger raft.
Somewhere in the middle of our trip, we encountered a particularly nasty set of rapids where timing and precise maneuvering would be critical in keeping our raft upright and us firmly in our seats. The sound of the water was deafening as we entered the maelstrom. The river quickly figured out we were novices and promptly took control of our raft, steering it towards some rather large rocks that eat boats like ours for breakfast.
I panicked in that moment and frantically began to back paddle against the unrelenting waters in an futile effort to halt our present course. Futile because a) the river was far stronger than I, and b) everyone else was still paddling forward. I remember screaming, "We're not going to make it! We're not going to make it!" as I tried in vain to move us away from the rocks.
"Paddle hard! Paddle FORWARD hard!" I heard another crew member scream. Without much of a choice, I plunged my paddle into the waters in a forward motion with every last bit of strength I had as I joined the others in moving the raft past the rocks. There we were, bounding headlong into the chaos, hoping that sheer determination alone would guide us through the daunting white waters.
The gamble paid off. We sailed swiftly past the obstacles and into a quiet, slow moving part of the Lehigh without so much as one bump against stone. I remember feeling rather embarrassed about my panic attack. I hesitated. I tried to put a rock down in a fast moving stream, instead of trusting the waters to carry me through. Self doubt nearly got the better of me that day, and had my crew members followed my lead of self doubt, I'm certain the my actions would have capsized the raft, and we all would have went for a swim.
Life moves in only one direction, and even if we want to stand still, we really can't. To do so, we risk capsizing all that we are. With metaphorical 'paddle' in hand, we can only move forward into the obstacles that challenge our path. I would learn this lesson many times over the years, and I continue to relearn it as life reveals even more challenging directions. Every time I feel the urge to back paddle, I remind myself that the quiet part of the river, the 'inner Zen' of the soul, lies before me, and not where I already am, or already have been.
Paddle forward. Paddle with everything you've got. This river of life ain't gonna stop moving, and neither should you.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Sounds Of Silence
I take one day a week of my daily walk to leave the mp3 player behind and embrace the silence. Of course, it's not really silent. The sounds of passing cars, jingling keys, birds, footsteps, and other ambient noises surround me as I stroll, yet I still find solitude within that keeps me in the moment and allows me to sit with the self. Besides, you can only listen to "Danger Zone" so many times.
The world has become far too noisy as of late. We are constantly bombarded with sound, so much so that it often drowns out the sound of not only our outer voice, but our inner one as well. If we can't hear our inner voice, how can we continue to define ourselves in this life? We've come to rely on external voices to get us through our day. We've become passive in this life, allowing others to think what's best for us, instead of finding out what's best for ourselves.
Do you know what your breath sounds like? Or your footsteps as you move around? When was the last time you sat in complete silence? If you can't remember, then it's been too long. When you're raised in a world of noise, complete silence can be intimidating, frightening even. Some are so afraid, they would rather talk aloud to themselves just to hear the sound of their own voice rather than deal with the silence. However, the path to accepting personal responsibility lies within the ability to listen to the self. We don't want to face the truth, truth that we already know, but it is necessary for our own personal growth if we want to move forward in this world.
I try to sit in silence as often as I can. I find comfort in the quiet spaces, a sense of peace that allows me to process my thoughts, to get a clear sense of my own being. You'd be surprised at how much you can learn by closing your mouth. The world opens up a little more. Problems find solutions. You hear the sound of rushing water and relate it to the movement in your own life. Sit in silence long enough and you'll learn how to maintain that Zen state even when surrounded by volume.
My music keeps me motivated on my daily walks, but the silence keeps me centered within my place in the 'Verse. I become one with the passing cars, the jingling keys, the footsteps and the birds. I allow their sounds to pass through me, and I find myself more interconnected with the world, rather than separate from it. This is one reason why people fear the silence, why they cloak themselves in noise. They want desperately to be connected to the world, and they fear that if it is silent, they won't be. Hence the constant barrage of auditory intrusions. TVs, radios, cell phones, video games, and other chattering noise makers. They create a false sense of safety.
The truth lies in the opposite. Within the quiet is where we are truly connected, where it all comes together in a sort of 'harmonic convergence' with the 'Verse.
Spend some time in the silence. Hear the sound of you own smile. There is much to be learned in the quiet of the moment. After all, moments are what make up a life. You really don't want to miss any, so stop talking and start listening. Your soul (and your ears) will thank you.
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence.
- Simon and Garfunkel
The world has become far too noisy as of late. We are constantly bombarded with sound, so much so that it often drowns out the sound of not only our outer voice, but our inner one as well. If we can't hear our inner voice, how can we continue to define ourselves in this life? We've come to rely on external voices to get us through our day. We've become passive in this life, allowing others to think what's best for us, instead of finding out what's best for ourselves.
Do you know what your breath sounds like? Or your footsteps as you move around? When was the last time you sat in complete silence? If you can't remember, then it's been too long. When you're raised in a world of noise, complete silence can be intimidating, frightening even. Some are so afraid, they would rather talk aloud to themselves just to hear the sound of their own voice rather than deal with the silence. However, the path to accepting personal responsibility lies within the ability to listen to the self. We don't want to face the truth, truth that we already know, but it is necessary for our own personal growth if we want to move forward in this world.
I try to sit in silence as often as I can. I find comfort in the quiet spaces, a sense of peace that allows me to process my thoughts, to get a clear sense of my own being. You'd be surprised at how much you can learn by closing your mouth. The world opens up a little more. Problems find solutions. You hear the sound of rushing water and relate it to the movement in your own life. Sit in silence long enough and you'll learn how to maintain that Zen state even when surrounded by volume.
My music keeps me motivated on my daily walks, but the silence keeps me centered within my place in the 'Verse. I become one with the passing cars, the jingling keys, the footsteps and the birds. I allow their sounds to pass through me, and I find myself more interconnected with the world, rather than separate from it. This is one reason why people fear the silence, why they cloak themselves in noise. They want desperately to be connected to the world, and they fear that if it is silent, they won't be. Hence the constant barrage of auditory intrusions. TVs, radios, cell phones, video games, and other chattering noise makers. They create a false sense of safety.
The truth lies in the opposite. Within the quiet is where we are truly connected, where it all comes together in a sort of 'harmonic convergence' with the 'Verse.
Spend some time in the silence. Hear the sound of you own smile. There is much to be learned in the quiet of the moment. After all, moments are what make up a life. You really don't want to miss any, so stop talking and start listening. Your soul (and your ears) will thank you.
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence.
- Simon and Garfunkel
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Passion Unto Death
"If I die, what a beautiful death! To die in the exercise of your passion."
- Philippe Petit
Mister Petit is still very much alive. He was the subject of the 2008 documentary, "Man on Wire", where in 1974 he successfully wire walked between the Twin Towers of NYC for 45 minutes of total Zen, brought about by his sheer passion for what he was put on this earth to do. Here was a man who had an overpowering dream and set upon a path to make it come true. He accomplished something no one had done previously, and that no one would replicate after. For that feat, that dream, that passion, he became legend. What's more, he believed in himself and what he was doing so much that he was willing to die in the execution of his dreams.
How many of us are willing to throw ourselves so completely into the fires of passion?
Passion is key to the continued movement of our energy, the flow of our water. Without passion, we sit like a small boat on the water, waiting for strong breeze to blow through our sails. Of course, many of us fail to realize that we don't even have our sails up in the first place, let alone waiting for the wind to move us. Passion and self definition will be recurring themes in our ongoing discourse. Passion ignites our desire, and it's important to know where you keep the matches. What are your loves in this world, and why aren't you feeding those loves?
Animal expert Steve Irwin gave an interview several years before his death where he told the reporter point blank the he firmly believed the reason he was put upon this earth was to spread the message of conservation, and how important it was to our continued survival as a species. This man lived his passion, truly lived his passion, and he died doing what he loved. I never saw his death as a tragedy for exactly this reason. He was in the water, swimming amongst the marine life, filming a show on just how amazing these creatures were. What better way to leave this world (and a legacy) than in a perfect moment of Zen?
"Clarity of mind means clarity of passion, too; this is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what he loves."
- Blaise Pascal
Find your passion. Time is far too short to sit idle in your boat without a breeze. Find the reason you were put on this earth. The answers are probably a lot closer than you think.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The Unholy Trinity
I don't know. What if. But.
To effectively define the self, one must first be honest in all that they are and all that is around them. Brutally honest. Lying is a way of life for most, and it can take a tremendous amount of effort to undo all that bad programming we've had since childhood, but it can be done. Life is always changing, and there's no reason why you can't live your life honorably just as you live it without honor. Change your perspective and you'll be able to make more effective choices about all that surrounds you.
Honesty starts with you. You are the center of your own 'Verse, and you can shape your reality any way you see fit in both word and deed. One good way to generate some positive energy is to eliminate the following three phrases from your vocabulary. You don't need them. You never did, and by continuing to use them, you are holding yourself back from your own self definition.
I DON'T KNOW
Find out!! If you're using this phrase you are more than likely to be lazy and live in fear. With the ample amount of resources available today, there is no excuse for you not to find the information that you need to know. The Internet is at your fingertips, so stop procrastinating and start typing. If the 'I don't knows' are internal, then take some time to sit with yourself and figure it out. The world is a noisy place, and we use that noise as a buffer to drown out the sound of our own internal monologue. We can't process what we can't hear. Again, this is a lazy way to live your life. If you're living in fear, then you're not really living. You need to find the answers within yourself in order to move forward. The 'I don't knows' won't cut it. Find a quiet space to process your thoughts. The answers are all right before you, as is the courage you need to reach for them. So reach!
WHAT IF
This phrase is reserved for those who are constantly looking in the rear view mirrors of their lives. "What if I had gone out with him in high school?" "What if I had tried harder?" "What if I didn't break that promise?" Enough already. You live in the present. They call it a past for a reason, because it's already happened. You can't change it, and no amount of dwelling upon past events (positive or negative) will change the outcome of your reality in the present moment, so leave it alone. This is wasted energy. Energy that could be better spent dealing with what's in front of you, and planning for a hopeful future. It's okay to learn from the past, but you shouldn't live there.
BUT
This one is for the fence walkers out there. "I'd like to go, but..." Embrace the black and white of the Yin/Yang and make a decision already. The world is not clouded in gray. It's either yes or no. This or that. Now or later. As Yoda said, "Do or do not. There is no try." Fence walkers never move anywhere, and life's too amazingly short not to be moving somewhere. So what if it's the wrong direction? That's how you learn. Make a decision and follow it through to the end. If you don't end up where you wanted, make another decision and see where that leads you. If you're using 'but' in a sentence, you're not being honest with yourself, and like I said earlier, honesty begins with you.
This 'unholy trinity' of phrases act like dams in your stream, preventing your water from flowing. Remove them from your vocabulary and start moving in this world. We are energy. We are always in motion, so find out what you need to know. Live in the present moment. Make effective choices.
The 'Verse waits with open arms.
To effectively define the self, one must first be honest in all that they are and all that is around them. Brutally honest. Lying is a way of life for most, and it can take a tremendous amount of effort to undo all that bad programming we've had since childhood, but it can be done. Life is always changing, and there's no reason why you can't live your life honorably just as you live it without honor. Change your perspective and you'll be able to make more effective choices about all that surrounds you.
Honesty starts with you. You are the center of your own 'Verse, and you can shape your reality any way you see fit in both word and deed. One good way to generate some positive energy is to eliminate the following three phrases from your vocabulary. You don't need them. You never did, and by continuing to use them, you are holding yourself back from your own self definition.
I DON'T KNOW
Find out!! If you're using this phrase you are more than likely to be lazy and live in fear. With the ample amount of resources available today, there is no excuse for you not to find the information that you need to know. The Internet is at your fingertips, so stop procrastinating and start typing. If the 'I don't knows' are internal, then take some time to sit with yourself and figure it out. The world is a noisy place, and we use that noise as a buffer to drown out the sound of our own internal monologue. We can't process what we can't hear. Again, this is a lazy way to live your life. If you're living in fear, then you're not really living. You need to find the answers within yourself in order to move forward. The 'I don't knows' won't cut it. Find a quiet space to process your thoughts. The answers are all right before you, as is the courage you need to reach for them. So reach!
WHAT IF
This phrase is reserved for those who are constantly looking in the rear view mirrors of their lives. "What if I had gone out with him in high school?" "What if I had tried harder?" "What if I didn't break that promise?" Enough already. You live in the present. They call it a past for a reason, because it's already happened. You can't change it, and no amount of dwelling upon past events (positive or negative) will change the outcome of your reality in the present moment, so leave it alone. This is wasted energy. Energy that could be better spent dealing with what's in front of you, and planning for a hopeful future. It's okay to learn from the past, but you shouldn't live there.
BUT
This one is for the fence walkers out there. "I'd like to go, but..." Embrace the black and white of the Yin/Yang and make a decision already. The world is not clouded in gray. It's either yes or no. This or that. Now or later. As Yoda said, "Do or do not. There is no try." Fence walkers never move anywhere, and life's too amazingly short not to be moving somewhere. So what if it's the wrong direction? That's how you learn. Make a decision and follow it through to the end. If you don't end up where you wanted, make another decision and see where that leads you. If you're using 'but' in a sentence, you're not being honest with yourself, and like I said earlier, honesty begins with you.
This 'unholy trinity' of phrases act like dams in your stream, preventing your water from flowing. Remove them from your vocabulary and start moving in this world. We are energy. We are always in motion, so find out what you need to know. Live in the present moment. Make effective choices.
The 'Verse waits with open arms.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
