The longer I walk this Earth the more deeply I understand that this life we live is the ultimate paradox and all of us are just trying to muddle our way through it. Most of the time, even if we consider ourselves to be fairly self-aware, we’re really only sleepwalking with momentary flashes of what could be considered true lucidity. We must be reminded, reawakened, time and time again from the semi-permanent state of amnesia we perpetually find ourselves in.
I find that it’s often the smallest of things that can serve as the delivery system for these lucid moments – a random thought, a strangely familiar scent, meaningful interaction with nature, perhaps even a quote that holds a certain gravitas. We so easily and often forget the universe itself is this conscious web of intelligence that we can interact with and even use as a tool to help us in our lives and our evolution. You see, the universe and life itself, these are our greatest teachers.
“I beg you, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.” ― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
Whenever I find myself, “getting into the weeds” in my own life, or notice anyone else doing the same, it’s usually because of just a handful of reasons:
Overthinking.
Trying to Control (things that we shouldn’t be/can’t).
Lack of Faith (that everything will work out).
These things are the surest way to misery of the highest magnitude, the enemies of a happy and satisfying life. They blind us to the truth and tend to push us outside of our calm and peaceful center. This calm and peaceful center is where everything good and meaningful comes from -- good decisions, productive discussions, life balance, mutual resolution.
Such peace can be found in patience, working incredibly hard but also having the wisdom and faith to let things unfold naturally. Above all it helps to believe in serendipity, the age-old unplanned fortunate discovery. The first quote above was handed to me out of the blue on a scrap of paper by my barber halfway through my last haircut. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. Serendipitous indeed.
I was having a particularly tough day but it, rather he, was the delivery system for rousing me awake from my amnesia. In that singular moment I found myself back on track again, eyes wide open, blissfully awake. This moment was significant enough that I wanted to share it. Who knows, maybe this will be the delivery system for someone else who might read it at some point in the future?
As Lennon & McCartney wrote in their famous song lyrics, We all get by with a little help from our friends. We can extract lessons from almost everything. Sometimes when we're feeling particularly stuck or a little lost in life we must only live our ways to the answer.
Enjoy the day. Thank you for reading!
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Eric, everything in this post needs to be highlighted, and etched in my mind! You are so in tune with the universe and all that is good, and that is why good things come your way! How we sleepwalk, many of us, and occasionally wake up to what really matters, as you rightly say
We need to learn how to tap into the natural energy that's within our grasp, a free gift that we deny ourselves because our minds get so bogged down with the turmoil happening around us!
Thank you for this!
You're welcome, Lizelle! I'm glad the words had an impact. I'm trying to remind myself these things more and more often these days. I hope all is well in your world and I thank you for your comment!
Trying to control everything in our life, I think this is what most of us try and fail. We should learn, let it go ;)
Ha! I can relate. I have to remind myself every now and then that there are things I can't control no matter how hard I try.
I think that's true, to a certain extent. I think we have to be able to discern what is within our realm of control and let go of what isn't. There's so much freedom in letting go!
Living this life is full of joy and sorrow. Thinking positively and always being grateful for what we have is the path to happiness. Have a nice day, Eric
Thank you Eliana! I wish you a wonderful week.
Perfect paradox
Several time actually I have wonder why do we live in this life because it seems at the end, all it will lead to is vanity on vanity
There are so many lessons to be learned in this life. I couldn't think of a better way to learn them, immersed in a world where we feel all of the dualities --- pain/pleasure, happiness/despair, success/failure...it's pretty effective if you learn from your mistakes.
It's just like that life is never the same, different things come and go, so if we can make our life good, that's the only reason we should work hard day and night and be successful and then we'll live our lives. We can live our life as we want, so if people talk about our life, we should ignore them and live more happily.
The importance of staying present, embracing uncertainty, and finding peace amidst the chaos can't be underrated.
But for me, it's not weed. It's alcohol. Last year, I had the chance to watch people try to get rid of boredom or run from the questions they seem to have answers to by going out with friends and getting drown in few bottles of alcohol.
When I watch them, I understood because I had been there a couple of times. Tried to use alcohol to stop myself from overthinking things and to forget the problems I have in the present.
Just as you said those things I worried over so much that getting drown in bottles of hot drinks did sort themselves out when I allowed time to take it due course
Sometimes we have to live these things to truly understand.
Oh, by "getting into the weeds" I meant getting into trouble or off track. I don't have a problem with weed in moderation. Alcohol is a really dangerous thing for a lot of people. When I was younger it was so prevalent and accepted, it was everywhere. It's so easy to develop a problem with it. The younger generations seem to be getting a little wiser and not drinking as much as Generation X did.
i am having a patience and i know this world is too big for us to explore.
I believe that percentage is pretty close to accurate. I think that's especially true during our working lives, we get so entrenched in our routines and the years and decades fly by as we're on autopilot, looking so forward to the weekends and vacations. I have all of those too, at times, although life keeps showing me the error of my ways.
Beautiful post . that describes the real value of patience, faith and the importance of living in the present moment in our life.
Actually, I'm in that kind of situation right now. Until now, my mind and heart is still at current state during my mental breakdown in my academics, causing me to drowned in grief and sorrow. Sometimes I'm ask myself if I'm not deserving enough to achieve that kind of goal as one of my greatest gift to my parents. Silly me. Although, it's not a big deal for others but for me, freaking it is. 😔
I'm so sorry you're going through this. When we're feeling overwhelmed it's important to take a step back, rest, and pay attention to self-care. Once our batteries are recharged oftentimes things don't seem so bad. I hope you feel better soon!
Appreciated this! I hope I will be fine soon. Thank you so much. 😌
I have a very uneasy relationship with my incapacity. I think many of us do, if not all of us. I used to be quite pleased with knowledge, certain of what I knew I knew. That is, until I learned that everything I knew was wrong, that I could only know some bit of what there is to know, and lacking a gestalt that could be absolutely certain, what little bits I could know were certainly qualified by other things I did not, and could not, know, which made what I knew factually incorrect.
As people we cannot avoid making judgments. I have resigned myself to acting as if I was right upon doing my best to ascertain what I can know, and being prepared to eat my words upon learning I am wrong when I inevitably do. I hope that this approach to knowledge has caused me to express my knowledge with humility, and to accept my correction with grace.
That I cannot do. Like a lawyer, I don't want to ask others any questions I don't know the answer to. The best I can do is to refrain from making my poor judgments until I am satisfied I have understanding I cannot refute, and then state my beliefs as forthrightly as I can, prepared to be disproved at any time. Neither do I believe I can overanalyze something. If I still have uncertainty about things then I set traps for myself by making judgments about them, and in the press and hurly burly of life, I find that it is sometimes necessary to make judgments and act on them as best I am able. However, absent such necessity, I stew and wrassle things indefinitely. I am still resolving trauma from losing a spelling bee in the Seventh Grade. I hope this makes me state things in such a way that eating my words later finds them as palatable as possible.
Thanks!
Thanks for your comment! Those kinds of existential crisis', where my entire system of belief was shattered, for me, was like being reborn. Painful as hell while going through it but I was better off (albeit a very different person) in the end. I've gone through that kind of transformation a few times in my life. I think it's very important to know what we don't know. We don't have the time or capacity to know everything. When it comes to learning I try to let my natural curiosity guide me, if I have a deep desire to know more about something then there's usually a good reason for that and I take a deep dive down the rabbit hole.
Going through that process was the most harrowing thing I ever did, but I feel I am a better man for it, although I'm still not convinced I prefer being the better man burdened with the memories of the distress I went through. When we go through such a crisis, it's never because we think we should, but fall off that plank at the tip of a sword. I know I clung to that plank with all ten toes.
There's a lot to be said about someone that can go through that deep of journey and have it become a transformation. Most who walk this Earth already have an ideology so rigid that they can't even entertain anything different. I suppose that's one of the main problems in this world.
I think I'm like that too. I find myself reawakened at the oddest of times. Three days ago, it was by a complete stranger that merely said a line to me. It struck me and I contemplated it the entire night and felt genuinely rejuvenated afterwards. I'm learning everyday to maintain positivity and trust in the fact that it will all be well in the end. Thank you for sharing these insightful words.
Isn't it great when that kind of thing happens? Try to hold onto that way of living, it will serve you well.
That's a great quote. You have one interesting barber!
There are lessons all around us just waiting to teach us something. Usually they aren't so easy to come by as yours was, though. haha.
It is, and it hit me at the absolute perfect moment. I have the coolest barber in the world. Jim is one of those people you could talk to for hours on end and never get bored.
Yes, those lessons seem (at least to me) to become more apparent once we get ourselves into a state where we're both receptive to and looking for them. Still, they're rarely literally handed to me like this one was. : )
This quote comes to me at a time when the question is: Why, God, why? Every night, I ask myself without getting answers. I am so full of pain that sometimes I find it hard to write because I would like God to answer me. I know that I am in a long line and that it takes a long time, to get that answer I desire, and that maybe those answers, I don't know, will come too late. I also do not know if what I am living will make me stronger, more mature, more human, what I do know is that the pain I am living is breaking my soul. A hug, my friend
Oh, Nancy, I am so sorry! I hope things improve for you very soon. I wish you a wonderful weekend!
In order to have everything mentioned, personally I feel like the main secret is on being patient and controlling the patience in life in general, especially with such insecure times when it's hard to make plans anymore.
Patience is so very important and is so difficult for most of us. I think if we try and try and it feels like life is an infinitely long hallway of locked doors then it's either time for patience (because we must "live our way to the answer") or a course-correction. So much of our success and happiness depends on being able to discern between those two things.
Random thoughts are very common and all happenings that you wants to discuss here, common between us and sometimes when I was reading a quote, it fits my life and its happenings and sometimes feels like same situation I am suffering from.
In our minds, there are lot of questions but I think You are right. We should not resolve every question.
Let them unanswered because some questions have no answer.
We should learn lesson from all happenings. Very meaningful topic today. Thanks for sharing this.
That's the great part is this is accessible to anyone and everyone, we just have to be aware and open to it. You're welcome!
Rilke, Heine, Schiller, Goethe ... were all part of my curriculum in school. We had to study their masterpieces relentlessly although we didn't really understand much back then. Today, I realize it was the foundation, the mainframe for lack of better words, the central dock from where "my" ships depart. I'm glad Rilke's words reignited the fire in you, pulling you out of insomnia and giving the lucid dream a different twist. What a beautiful reminder. Thanks for sharing your journey Eric!
You're welcome, Kris! I feel the same way about many of the classics I read when I was younger. Even if we didn't realize it in the moment they provided a kind of framework for the future version(s) of ourselves. I feel so sorry for people who don't read for that very reason.
Oh... you're in the flow.
How lovely 😊
And so eloquently shared 👏🏼🔥
These are my favorite times as well
Thank you! These are the moments in time I live for. : )
we’re really only sleepwalking with momentary flashes of what could be considered true lucidity
I could not agree more. I think that it takes constant effort to regain clarity over what this life is all about.
I absolutely agree, we need to constantly remind ourselves. That's one reason I like breath work, it's a metaphor for life...we must constantly bring our conscious attention back to our breath. I got one of these contraptions for that very reason...
What an awesome invention! The studies about the vagus nerve are spot on, there are also some stimulators that get clipped to the ear and there are trials going on for kids with autism to see if it helps them with anxiety. I think that it is marvellous that we live in a century where so many cool stuff get to be invented for the well being of the human individual.
The breath is important I think that taking long breaths and then exhaling slowly helps, I try it once in a while too, it helps
Sorry, I missed this comment somehow. The research regarding breathwork is solid, as with the emerging research on some of the grounding/Earthing devices. I got a grounding bedsheet. I wrote more about it here.
Oh wow I did not even knew that such a thing exists lol. I guess that now I can explain to myself why it felt so good to sleep on the soil in the hot summers in the countryside , it is a grounding experience. I wonder if people who can sleep on the soil get the most benefits from Mother Earth. I mean if it is summer and warm and clean...why not. Or maybe to be able to camp in your own backyard instead of sleeping indoors...
Yes, I've been using the grounding sheet for almost a month now and can't believe how much more relaxed and connected I feel. It's the same feeling I get when I spend time in nature.
I would suspect that sleeping outside would give you the same benefits, as long as you aren't sleeping on something like a rubber mat that would block the Earth's natural current. They say that's why we're so plagued by depression and anxiety because the rubber soles of our shoes cut us off from the Earth's current. I've bought a couple pairs of grounding shoes too to wear in the summertime. After experiencing the benefits for myself I'm a believer.
I have read about the plastic on our shoes, I try to go barefoot in the areas where I see that there is opportunity I have experienced the benefits, it is also said that walking on a wool carpet before going to sleep is also very therapeutic
What a beautiful post, it invites us to reflect, it is true, life is full of questions, and many things we do not get answers to, perhaps we should have more trust with the people we love and consult with them, perhaps some of the answers already has happened to a close environment, and whose experience helps us to answer our own questions, the important thing is not to stop at the lack of answers, many of them will become clearer over the course of life.
I take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful afternoon dear friend @ericvancewalton
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it my friend! Have a great day!
Did Joe write that or did the Beatles? I'm genuinely curious now. Oddly enough, I think I had a moment the other day but I'm not quite sure. It's not that things became clear for me, but I was doing something pretty mundane and it struck me again how complex and miraculous our bodies are. The fact that its all thrown together in one bundle of life is amazing.
You’re right! It was the Beatles. Thank you! Awe and wonder is such an enjoyable state to reside in.
I thought so, but I didn't want to assume. I just know they follow into it from Sgt. Pepper and it's one of the few songs Ringo sings.
That's a good lesson for me to Google if I'm in doubt. ; ) Joe sang it so soulfully I thought to myself, "He had to have written it.".
One of the rare cases where the cover is probably better than the original!
True! They seem like two totally different songs.
Hello, @ericvancewalton
Yes, uncertainty mortifies many. Of course, asking the appropriate and timely questions and trying to resolve them is crucial to giving meaning to our existence. However, what I have learned in life's lessons is what the Stoics recommended, which I can summarize as enjoying the here and now without harming others until I find imperturbability in the face of their criticisms.
In any case, it is a good strategy to remain in a constant learning process, without letting it discourage you.
Greetings.
There can be so much anxiety in uncertainty, can't there? I think to a certain degree we must learn to replace that anxiety about the unknown with joy and excitement about the possibilities of what might be. If we expect things to work out it's amazing how often they do. By the same token, if we're expecting to fail then that can easily happen as well. Enjoying the here and now is always a wise thing!
I feel that sometimes we are connected to something bigger (these connections come in flashes and guide us like an inner voice) and at other times we drown our own voice in norms of the world and we are lost in the crowd
I feel to find our way it is important to be able to hear our inner voice
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I 100% agree with that. I have no doubt that we're part of something much bigger. Once we start to really believe this the world becomes a very magical place.
Sharing on Twitter.
Thinking too much increases a person's knowledge and on the other hand, a person starts to go into depression, so it is important to know certain things in life
#hive #posh
Sometimes I trie to have the patience but the more I tried, the more it seems it is getting harder to and at times it seems one might want to give up on that.
Patience is a difficult one. It's like working out to build physical strength, we must use the same discipline to build patience over time.
These are really important words that can help we humans to live a free and happy life and I appreciate you sharing it.
Thank you!
What a paragraph... this really spoke to me, as did your reflections around it, @ericvancewalton. I like the idea you present of growing naturally - or "evolving", rather - into understanding... Trusting that by living, taking each day as it comes, the answers you seek will unfold for you at the right moment. Oh man, what a "present" way to describe embracing the Now, and trusting that - eventually - the things that did not make sense will.
So glad you enjoyed it. Letting go and paying attention to how life unfolds is such and awesome way to live, in some ways it's like a "cheat code" for life. You still have to work like hell at what brings you joy but the trick is not get too attached to the results or stress about what is outside of your control.
Absolutely, I agree. ^ This is a lesson I'm still very much in the throes of ingraining in my daily thinking. Haha, it could very well be considered the "cheat code" for life... I like that. It's so good to define what is within your control in order to very clearly determine what is not. And I think the health benefits to thinking this way only multiply as time goes no - less stress, less self-critique, less fear. Of course, the people around you will always influence how you think and feel. But perspective is key in this instance.
True! I get way more choosy about who I spend my time with, the older I get for this very reason.
👌🏼Yes!! Ditto.