Based on the title, you may be forgiven for thinking that this is going to be a crypto post, but it isn't - so if you are here for the latest predictions, you are out of luck. But, I did use the "old" adage of, When in doubt, zoom out with a friend today, who is going through a bit of a rough time personally. However,
When in doubt.
We get so wrapped up in the daily drama, the volatility of our lives, that we tend to fee that the aplitudes are bigger than they really are, the swings more destructive. Yet, if we zoom out, we will likely find that things aren't that bad after all, the troughs not too deep, the overall ride of life is pretty smooth.
Sure, this doesn't work all of the time because life can throw some pretty big curves, but most of the time, for most people, life is okay. We might prefer great or even be happy with good enough, but being okay on average is well, okay too.
As my friend and I were talking, they realized that this was the case for them too and while they would prefer better conditions, all in all, the situation is not so bad. A job they don't mind, a little money saved, a house that has appreciated in value a touch and a family that cares - when zooming out, they are in a pretty good condition overall and far better than many people in this world, in comparison.
But comparisons don't work.
As I was saying today, the only thing that I can know is that I am aware of my own experience and as such, I can't even be sure that anything else is real in my world, other than me. I think, therefore I am, but how do I know I am not just thinking up you? Which means, I may as well do what makes me feel okay, right?
Hmmm....
In the discussion today, we were talking about an afterlife, which neither of us believe in. It seems though, that a lot of people are acting good in order to get somewhere that may just be a figment of their imagination. And, there also seems to be some kind of expectation that if there is no afterlife and people can do what they want, they will just act like animals - but I disagree.
Similar to what I was mentioning in my last article on useless jobs, a lot of us define ourselves by what we do for work, meaning that pour purpose is tied somewhat to our job. Exploring the uselessness of it however uncovers that what we are identifying with, might not be the best thing to take pride in.
However, what we might be able to take pride and get purpose from is the way we approach work and life in general, which means that regardless of how our life turns out, if we did it the best we could and were true to ourselves, it was a success. Even if we failed in the eyes of others. If we are just living our lives to get some prize at the end however, are we living our best life?
Zooming out a little further on our own lives, while we are the experiencer and therefore are affected by the volatility, the chances of any of us as an individual making a significant difference on the meta is pretty slim. Even the people who have been responsible or attributed for the greatest changes in the existence of the known world, become less significant as time goes on. Yet, in the day to day world of our lives, it all seems so important, we seem important, because it is happening to us...
The most important person in the world.
Perhaps, the only person in the world.
And, I am saying this, not to belittle our lives, but empower them. For we are the ones responsible for our experience, no one else. And, it isn't to encourage a life of hedonism, but perhaps the opposite - one of consequence, where we own the results of our lives, even the parts that we have zero control over, because it is only us who will experience it.
No one needs a God to be good, they can make a choice to be good because that is the experience they want from their lives. They can be good because it satisfies them to be so, even though they get nothing out of it other than the feeling that it was a life purpose fulfilled - or aimed for - even in failure.
Yin and Yang.
There is no absolute in good and evil, each puts a drop of itself into the realm of the other to ensure that there is no purity - no right and wrong. Each good act will cause some pain. Each bad act will bear some good fruit. It might not be an immediate reaction, but give it time.
Zoom out.
Are you doubting?
It is natural. There is no certainty.
Which is a paradoxical statement.
But we needn't dwell on that, because certainty or not, zooming out on our lives, our activities, our sense of self, will find that we are far smoother than the drama suggests, more refined than our emotional rollercoaster makes us feel. We get so caught up in the moments because that is all there is in life, that we forget that while we only have the now, the now is a constant, it is both always and nothing, eternity and timeless.
Our lives are this strange continuum of experience that makes us feel that there are parts to, but really are just an amalgamation of all the nows. And if we were just to take a moment to consider our life right now, in that sliver of timelessness, we are okay.
For now.
Have you noticed that we all are on a spectrum of hard life and all on a spectrum of good life too. And, they are two different spectrums, because a hard life can still be a good life and a bad life could still be easy. It is not mutually exclusive and no matter how hard, there may be a little good dropped in there too, if paying attention.
And, attention is all we have that is truly ours.
Use it well.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
