Month: November 2013

Sherpas or flight attendants

Spirituality is another form of flight. That’s why you have to check the baggage.

I was watching the Matrix again. You’ve probably seen it many times. It occurred to me that Morpheus is more of a spiritual leader than a strategic one. It seems obvious when you listen to him, but when you watch him fight Neo, you can see it even in his body language. He has slow movements and distant thoughts. Things move slowly from far above. It just shows you that a masterpiece of a movie even does the small things right.

It made me think of spirituality as flight. Some people seek the highest heights, where they often find themselves at peace and alone. Others might use it only to overcome earthly obstacles and avoid anxiety. People often find their spiritual selves in prison or after horrible events. Somehow troubles always bring people closer to spirituality. Maybe it is for this reason, when you have mountains to overcome, anything that can carry you over them is welcome.

Let it loose

The truth is like a lion. You don’t have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself. — Saint Augustine

The best quotes are like riddles. They’re clever enough to surprise you and simple enough to understand. They offer wisdom and sometimes even require it. If they’re really good, they lie to tell you the truth. Great ideas aren’t often black and white, but a thinker has to exaggerate in order to teach an idea quickly.

One person might make an interesting statement. People agree with it, and it becomes popular. It will later be criticized for leaving out important details. It’s hard to describe something without simplifying it. Simple maps are useful because they leave out most of the details. An explanation is another way of giving directions. It’s best when it’s short and sweet.

I write for the same reason I workout. It’s good exercise. It takes strength to tell the truth, and sometimes skill to describe it. You can’t tame the lion, if you’re afraid to write it.

Indecisiveness and inexperience.

Indecisiveness means you like to learn from inexperience.

One of the strange things about life is that the good and bad advice is all mixed together. You can’t know which is which until you don’t need it anymore. Even knowing the right answer, doesn’t make you doesn’t make you believe in it, or yourself.

I enjoy listening to interviews of famous people reminiscing over the moment they were first discovered. They are some of the sweetest memories of their lives. They give detailed accounts of the intersections between talent and doubt. A lot of their experiences overlap each other. Each risked a lot, meaning they often pursued their craft for no good reason, other than they enjoyed it. You can hear their interest in the history and future of their craft. And they met and befriended people who eventually helped them. I wasn’t looking for principles, but after listening for a while, I noticed patterns.

Maybe the best skill we can develop is our ability to deal with the unknown. Do we retreat, to ensure the future will look like the present? Do we commit ourselves to the wind and follow the unknown? It seems the selection of people I listened to followed either their passions or strengths until they found recognition. That answer does nothing for me.

I don’t care so much about their choices, but it’s interesting to wonder why they continued. In the end I think the artists followed their instincts, and like all artists, some of their work was well received. We all possess some artistry when it comes to the life we create. We take risks or we play it safe. In the end, the chances we take develop either our strength or our understanding.