My guiding light
Let’s face it, life is baffling. From the moment we are born until the end of our days the whole journey appears to be somewhat of an experiment. We are given a handful of cards and we try to play our best move while maintaining a straight face. Some people are better at not dwelling over it than others but it’s impossible to know how events will eventually unfold. Other actors and circumstances may favour or work against us and so we are ultimately left stranded at sea without any real guarantee that we are moving in the right direction.
Where does that leave us?
Most people refuse to ponder about these kind of facts of life. It’s like the “big elephant in the room” and it’s a lot easier to get distracted by watching the latest show on Netflix or going out to a bar with friends. Unfortunately, this doesn’t make uncertainty any less powerful. In fact, uncertainty is not something that requires any upkeeping like a plant which we have to water every so often. Uncertainty is embedded in our shaddow and follows us everywhere we go. Consequently, we can never get rid of it completely and therfeore even if you decide not to attend to it, trust me, it’s right around the corner waiting to jump out at any given chance.
To be fair, I get why people generally try to avoid it. It’s not pleasant to admit that our destiny is not only determined by our own actions. Frankly, it’s scary and thus we seek comfort from different sources. The sea is vast and mighty and our saling boat while stirdy, is no match against the forces of the universe. As a result, we seek out as much help as we can. At the end of the day, we are all just trying to survive, live our lives as best we can, but do we really stand a chance?
Wait... is this really a problem?
Until now, I guess I have inclined the reader to believe that uncertainty is something that should be construed as being bad. Obviously, this is the product of my own bias. Part of me is drawn to the idea of control as I have deluded myself into thinking that security is waiting on the other side. On the other hand, a more reckless version of my persona secretly rejoices the potential rewards chaos can bring. Moreover, it even cherishes chaos itself perceiving it as something majestic.
The upside of chaos
Have you ever considered how exquisitely uncomprehensible our very exsitence is? We have taken for granted things like gravity, photosynthesis, biology and diversity. All around us there are constantly evolving natural processes which are so incredibly sophisticated, our own imagination could not manufacture them even if we had an endless supply of time and performance enhancing drugs.
The fact that you are here right now proves that chaos is as beautiful as it is disruptive. We are the product of numerous different forces coming together and causing a highly convoluted chain of reactions acting in a very specific way. Hence, instead of running away from it, maybe we should learn to embrace it, but how?
Overcoming uncertainty
“I move by faith not by sight”
A few years ago I watched a very thought provoking movie called “The book of Eli”. SPOILER ALERT, at the end of the film the protagonist played by Denzel Washington reveals that he is blind, after overcoming all sorts of obstacles to protect the last remaining bible on earth. During his quest he expressed the above quote and I think it really summarizes how we can achieve stability even when the floor is shaking beneath us. As I mentioned earlier, there is no escaping from uncertainty which means that we need to learn to live with it and we cannot rely on anyone to protect us from the volatility it generates which can affect us detrimentally. As a result, as we do with faith, we need to hang on to something mystical and untangible, something like a guiding light if you will, to lessen our vulnerability.
OK… but what is a guiding light exactly and where can we find it?
Beyond religion or even spirituality, I think we have all experienced unique moments during which we have felt an uplifting sense of direction blossoming from within our very core. It’s really hard to describe it with words as it transcends the limits of our consciousness.
So then, rather than me trying to explain it, perhaps the best way for you to grasp what I’m talking about is to take a drive down memory lane. Do you remember feeling warm inside when you held your baby in your arms for the very first time? Did you get goosebumps when you had your first kiss or observed a dazzling new sunrise? Maybe you are an athlete and you recall being boosted by an unknown source of energy at a critical time. Whatever it might have been, during the rare moments I have experienced it myself I somehow observed how time slowed down as my spirit, body and mind worked together in tandem creating a perfect equilibrium.
The answer is you
Did you know that according to the latest research dung beetles can navigate using the starry sky and the glow from the Milky Way? Whatever you are doing and regardless of what stage of life your are in, pay special attention to that voice inside you that will tell you that you are where you were always meant to be and somehow sooner or later you will find your way home.
Joining the dots
For a very long time I’ve had a feeling which I have really struggled to come to terms with. It seems like a broken dream or a déjà vu of some sort. In a very abstract yet very real way, in some corner of my mind, there is a miniscule and very hidden expectation that at one point that’s it, the end. I’m not talking about death, this is not a dark premonition. It’s more like a forgotten memory, in which I somehow foreshaddowed that at some point something would happen that would cause everything to just be. Do you reckon that was my guiding light giving me an anticipation of what’s to come? Is it crazy to think that it was trying to “hack” the universe in some way to give me a heads up?
I know it doesn’t make any sense at all and I have probably failed at explaining this phonenomen with the sufficient detail it deserves. Nevertheless, the bottom line is this, if you want to overcome what seems like a surreal experience at times, you must look inside yourself and just be.
Attaining bliss
While stillness or how ever you want to call it is created from internal engineering, in my case, my loved ones have really been the catalyst that have helped me click. My family and closest friends have inspired me and mapped my journey during the darkest nights. They have iluminated the night sky and I am oddly confident that wherever the winds may take me, I know that the journey will have been worth while because of them.
So please don’t close yourself. Do not refrain from contemplating the greater reality that surrounds you. Even though you may not fully understand it, there is meaning behind the masterpiece that is our universe. Reach inside to grasp its significance and reach outside to share it with others.
