I recently had the somewhat dubious pleasure of visiting an establishment for the sick and the convalescing. Hospitals are always interesting places, though I greatly dislike the pallor. You have so much humanity concentrated in a confined space – everyone with a problem. Your first awareness is that there are virtually no happy faces. Everyone has that stern, constricted look of forbidden pain. It’s as if to say, “I await the stark truth of something: the unanticipated, the unknown or the realization of my own mortality.” Looking past this, you truly come to an epiphany: all of us create our own reality, whether terminally sick or not. Now, I must admit that I do not suffer from some chronic, debilitating illness. In fact, I feel pretty good. The joy and happiness I perceive, however, is to a large extent of my own mental creation. That said, my short sojourn only reinforced the belief that there has to be a better way. The question is with a seemingly endless stream of negativity, from social media and from life itself, how does one develop a positive mental attitude and hence physical fitness?
The journey
Last week I spoke on the subject of time. I am always a little embarrassed when I touch on this topic: people appear to be so psychologically naked when they waste it. Time goes deep with people “to paraphrase Sir Ken Robison.” If people inveigle about some expanse of intimacy related to an occasion, it almost sounds pornographic. (1) It is like they have never really understood time and can only adumbrate some nonsensical activity: their money, their love life or their job. They pontificate about that expanse, but have not really uncovered it, not really probed it, nor lived it. Our digital world is making an individual’s entrance into a “virtual” space easier and easier. But, many times, when you open the door, there is nothing there. The virtual world is, well, virtual: not real, emotionless and blank. In the beginning of the substantial and truthful journey to discover yourself, there is always a moment of pain and suffering. Here you must be honest with your needs and desires: not those needs of your parents, friends and family. Do I really want to undertake this journey to the self? I must, must say yes – though I do not want to: I am afraid. Now the detritus of those who refuse to travel the “path” is in front of you. Could I be that broken, forlorn soul, you ask yourself? If one is honest, it is fear that pushes you forward: fear that that corrupted and broken being could actually become you. Osho’s (2) opinion (one of many): “The society, the church, the state: all want everyone to be in a state of constant fear: fear of the known, fear of the unknown, fear of death, fear of hell, fear of missing heaven, fear of not making your name in the world, fear of just being a ‘nobody.’ Everyone around you, from your very birth, is creating fear. No child is born with fear. Every child is born with freedom, doubt, rebellion, individuality, and innocence – all great qualities. But he is helpless and dependent.” Your response: “No, no, no never, not me.” This statement alone gives you courage.
Time waits for no man
One of the great adventures that everyone experiences over time is “the disconnect” between your mind and your physical condition: unless, of course, you truly hate yourself — some do, and perhaps should. Given that this is not your lot, you will comment to yourself on the aging of your compatriots on FB, for example; this is, however, not how you see yourself in the world. You consider yourself youthful, vivacious and still not bad looking. This is especially true if you work with young people: you regress in age to a point that you can truly feel their need, fears and concerns. You are pulled to remember your own experiences at sixteen or seventeen years old: they weren’t pretty were they? I recall this headlong thrust into maturity: “Grow up and become a man!” This is equally true for young women: “Become alluring and attractive.”
Too much good advice
Have you ever noticed that, from a very young age, we are truly inundated with advice and “guidance?” Now I admire the animal kingdom when it comes to giving counsel and life skills. The mother lion, for example, when instructing her cubs has killed and eaten prey before. Failure to do so results in simple Darwinian (1) selection: you die and don’t have any incompetent progeny. These hard earned skills have been passed on through generation after generation by the removal of the weaker and less intelligent members, thereby allowing the superior beast to survive and multiply. One would almost believe that Gaia really is in control of the Earth for without the hardiness of most species, human beings would have wiped them out eons ago.
The necessity of light
Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy; sunshine in my eyes can make me cry. Sunshine on the water looks so lovely; sunshine almost always makes me high. (1)