This world is making it ever more difficult not to take sides, not to reach for certainty, not to long for some final sanctuary. But I’m with you. Maybe my upbringing gave me a taste for the pitfalls of limiting myself and the richness of being open to the world. I certainly can’t take credit for some kind of inherent courage. And so many times have I tripped on my path and fallen into the ruts all around. And sometimes I have slammed the gates of my heart shut…for a while. So often have I truly longed for a place to rest for a bit from the constant navigating. As a human in this messy human world, maybe all our so-called missteps are not at all. We can learn so much from mistakes. It saddens me greatly that our society makes mistakes into personal flaws.
Anyway, I very much enjoyed this offering of yours. It felt like flowing in a river going in the general direction I’ve been going with rapids, eddys and unforeseen rocks to make the journey anything but boring.
Thank you for your thoughts here Yi, and I love how you express them. Very nicely put:" It saddens me greatly that our society makes mistakes into personal flaws". So with you. I think its incredibly hard on young people. That your mistakes are stapled to your character, as something fixed. I think it brings a huge pressure; not to make mistakes. As much as I know in life: whatever wisdom we accrue grows out of the mistakes we make and how we come back from them. It's one of the reasons I've decided to get more vocal on cancel culture. Not because I want to take anyone on. Because I want to encourage people that we can move forward, that we don't have to be defined by our misteps, that redemption isn't a religious idea but part of the fabric of living. Have a beautiful day x
There are more things in this world I do not agree with, make me unhappy, angry, sad, that it would take a LIFETIME to learn that I will never see the end of that list, as it will continue to grow indefinitely. It only took me ONE MOMENT to realize that there is also an endless amount of joy to be discovered in our lifetimes. Knowing that I am open to finding beauty everywhere and am accepting of others journeys (no matter how convoluted or difficult to understand) has made me a happy human.
There's a great line from Hesse: "at the last you have to take the whole world into your heart, come what may". I believe it came from Steppenwolf, because I read it in my twenties and always remembered it. I re-read it in the pandemic, but couldn't find the quote. Maybe it was the translation. Or maybe Hesse just morphed into my own heart and I stole his dreaming. But the point is the same as you make. And you, in being someone who has witnessed good & evil - and both often in the heart of each other - can take that leap. It's funny, I think sometimes the people who want to tear down half the world, are the ones who never experienced the other heart of the world. It's as if you have to visit the sickness - the very heart of it - to make peace that it exists. It doesn't mean it isn't worth fighting with or tangling with. But you can't "will" it out of existence. That's a tyrants dream, or a would be gods fantasy. Have a great day Matt, thank you as ever for your thoughts brother.
This world is making it ever more difficult not to take sides, not to reach for certainty, not to long for some final sanctuary. But I’m with you. Maybe my upbringing gave me a taste for the pitfalls of limiting myself and the richness of being open to the world. I certainly can’t take credit for some kind of inherent courage. And so many times have I tripped on my path and fallen into the ruts all around. And sometimes I have slammed the gates of my heart shut…for a while. So often have I truly longed for a place to rest for a bit from the constant navigating. As a human in this messy human world, maybe all our so-called missteps are not at all. We can learn so much from mistakes. It saddens me greatly that our society makes mistakes into personal flaws.
Anyway, I very much enjoyed this offering of yours. It felt like flowing in a river going in the general direction I’ve been going with rapids, eddys and unforeseen rocks to make the journey anything but boring.
Thank you for your thoughts here Yi, and I love how you express them. Very nicely put:" It saddens me greatly that our society makes mistakes into personal flaws". So with you. I think its incredibly hard on young people. That your mistakes are stapled to your character, as something fixed. I think it brings a huge pressure; not to make mistakes. As much as I know in life: whatever wisdom we accrue grows out of the mistakes we make and how we come back from them. It's one of the reasons I've decided to get more vocal on cancel culture. Not because I want to take anyone on. Because I want to encourage people that we can move forward, that we don't have to be defined by our misteps, that redemption isn't a religious idea but part of the fabric of living. Have a beautiful day x
There are more things in this world I do not agree with, make me unhappy, angry, sad, that it would take a LIFETIME to learn that I will never see the end of that list, as it will continue to grow indefinitely. It only took me ONE MOMENT to realize that there is also an endless amount of joy to be discovered in our lifetimes. Knowing that I am open to finding beauty everywhere and am accepting of others journeys (no matter how convoluted or difficult to understand) has made me a happy human.
There's a great line from Hesse: "at the last you have to take the whole world into your heart, come what may". I believe it came from Steppenwolf, because I read it in my twenties and always remembered it. I re-read it in the pandemic, but couldn't find the quote. Maybe it was the translation. Or maybe Hesse just morphed into my own heart and I stole his dreaming. But the point is the same as you make. And you, in being someone who has witnessed good & evil - and both often in the heart of each other - can take that leap. It's funny, I think sometimes the people who want to tear down half the world, are the ones who never experienced the other heart of the world. It's as if you have to visit the sickness - the very heart of it - to make peace that it exists. It doesn't mean it isn't worth fighting with or tangling with. But you can't "will" it out of existence. That's a tyrants dream, or a would be gods fantasy. Have a great day Matt, thank you as ever for your thoughts brother.