In a world that looks unstable, often imperfect and fragmented, I seek for ways and opportunities to shift things on micro levels all the time. It could be the smallest things like bringing your attention back to your breath, allowing yourself the time to respond instead of reacting, making healthier food choices, waiting for a craving to pass, taking a few minutes every day – however busy – just to close my eyes and go within, indulging in day dreaming or listening to my favourite song, cooking a meal from scratch or just doing the laundry, saying no when I want to. When we alter things at a small daily level, we build our inner strength and peace. And this allows us to flourish as human beings giving us time for creative pursuits and inner exploration.
We always have a choice even when sometimes we feel like we don’t. And this is something we need to remind ourselves every now and then. Yes, there are bills to be paid and deadlines to be met. For some of us, for example, the desire for presence on social media is such that we feel nonexistent and unvalidated if we are not seen or heard on a daily basis. Our self-worth is determined by how others see us. We may say that is what keeps us relevant. But that is a lie. If your work and your virtual existence have taken over your joy of being, that is a very heavy price you are paying without even consciously thinking about it.
You have created a prison of which the keys to freedom are with you but you just don’t want to use it. Who then can help you. We spend hours and hours, and days and years in trying to understand the world. Yet the most difficult, for most of us, is to spend a few minutes solely to understanding the self. Who am I? What is my purpose? But when you introspect, it is important to be aware that you do not invent answers that feel true but are often wrong. The human mind rarely operates without judgment and is seldom free from bias.
We give validity and value to what makes us feel good about ourselves, and ignore the real answers because the journey inwards is often hard and demands clarity and deep commitment to self-growth, often at the cost of worldly labels of worth. I have also learnt that no matter how much progress we make on the path to self-realisation there’s always more to learn, and that perhaps is what make this journey exciting and meaningful.
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