“You are but a drop in the ocean… but what is an ocean but a multitude of drops” Cloud Atlas.
As of writing this post to my blog the human population of Earth was approaching 8.2 billion people. That means 8.2 billion unique and beautiful sovereign individuals ready to express their talents to create a beautiful world of partnership and harmony. When people come-together in a spirit of Love and Forgiveness, anything is possible. If any relationships have created disputes and separation, perhaps it is time to call a truce and bring harmony back by starting over again. Being Authentic is being true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character, and accepting that same need for everyone else. I know this can be hard for control freaks and those locked onto their ‘absolute belief’ structures. Rather than searching for belief validation, perhaps we all could stop for a minute and consider who we would be if we didn’t have to conform to rigid societal norms and ‘the only way’ thinking.
Of course, we can’t just have 8.2 billion people ‘all’ doing their own thing, but we can have them being authentic to who they really are while adhering to ‘norms’ that promote harmony and fellowship within productive communities. I am sure there will always be contrarians’ but if we learn to be authentic to ourselves, we will become more tolerant of hard differences – or we can just evict the uncompromising assholes to go and bother another group.
The Desiderata and IF poems have featured prominently in my life (see poems and analysis link). Desiderata is a Latin word that means “things desired.” It refers to the things that are truly important in life or something that is needed or wanted. As a young teenager, I came across both of these poems and was profoundly influenced by their messages. In times when I feel challenged, I look at these poems and find a sense of peace.
Also, as a teenager, I came across Richard Bach’s book ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull.’ It is a short novel that tells the story of a seagull named Jonathan who doesn’t fit in with his flock. While most gulls are concerned with basic survival, Jonathan is obsessed with perfecting his flying. His drive for excellence leads to conflict and exile, but he continues to learn and grow. The book emphasizes ambition, desire, and the importance of trusting oneself to achieve one’s desires (see link for more detail). It too, had a profound impact upon me. Like most of us, much of my life I have been what people expected me to be, yet I have always tried to do it in my own unique way. Now, as a retiree, I strive to help people see the world as it is and as it can be. It’s one reason I began this blog.
As a travel around, I unobtrusively observe people going about their daily lives. I see a myriad set of behaviors, but all are primarily focused on people getting through life as they strive to be happy within the rigid confines of our current societies. Seeing people who are truly authentic is more of a rarity. They tend to be smiling regardless of what is going on and they also tend to be personable characters expressing themselves in unique ways without offending anyone in general. People who get easily offended usually show abundant signs of feeling inadequate about themselves. They wouldn’t readily admit to it, but their need to control their lives within a system that controls them is part of a deep victim mentality. Something shared by the majority of the 8.2 billion people at this time.
No big mystery here since it is the way that the hierarchies control us. Feelings of inadequacy keep us disempowered and more manipulable. Readers of Aldous Huxley or George Orwell will know what I mean here. If something is inadequate, there is not enough of it or it is not good enough. If someone feels inadequate, they feel that they do not have the qualities and abilities necessary to do something or to cope with life in general. The Berkley well-being site is a good read explaining inadequacy and even has a good ‘well-being quiz’ that helps identify inadequacy and how to move past it.
“Have you ever struggled to feel good about yourself? Do you wonder if you’re good enough? Do you question whether you’re competent enough? Then you may be dealing with feelings of inadequacy. Feelings of inadequacy are normal and we all feel this way sometimes, but when we feel this way, we also likely desire to change these feelings. So, in this article, we’ll explore inadequacy in more detail and then focus on strategies that can help us overcome inadequacy and feel better about ourselves.”
“Personal inadequacy involves a general sense that we are not good enough—maybe we feel we can’t do things right, we aren’t a good person, or we can’t succeed in our chosen profession. When it comes to personal inadequacy, other people may or may not be involved. For example, I might feel inadequate at my job, I might struggle to have confidence in my ability to manifest my dreams, or I might feel like I’m failing at adulting. This type of inadequacy can emerge in anything and everything we do.
Social inadequacy involves a feeling that we’re inept specifically in social situations or we are not good enough “in the eyes of others”. We may feel unable to approach the opposite sex and establish romantic relationships. We may feel like we don’t know how to carry a conversation. Or, we may even be anxious about calling a stranger on the phone because we don’t know what to say. In this case, we may be especially likely to feel shame about ourselves and fear rejection.”
So, let’s start a journey to our authentic Self that places emphasis on the deeper soul-like essence of who we truly are. It will involve a lot about choice (as I have often talked about in this blog as well). Slowly, we will begin to challenge ourselves to dialogue with that deep essence so that we are empowered to hear it, listen to it, believe it, and act from it. A sustainable future relies on it.
To Be Continued ………………
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