"Are you prepared to be ridiculed, ignored and starving till you are forty-five?"
"I am. But tell me: What will happen after I am forty-five?"
"You will have grown accustomed to it." - Anthony de Mello
One thing I have learned from my travels is to let go. We live in a world where everything seems to be already designed for us. I grew up thinking that I would be something by the age 25. But when I reached that age, all I had to be was just to be myself.
Surely, those years when I didn’t do anything but work hard, buy things and stay in a relationship. I watched people coming in and out of the metros, going up and down the escalators. Moving fast like crickets. I always have this vision, everyone is doing the same things every day as if everything has already been designed. The Matrix.
I was on the verge of losing my sanity brought about by the corporate job stress. Those things you hear about the Silicon Valley, the harassment, bullying etc., those are all true. The result of job stress was that I became upset with everything else in life, trying to control things, making everything better. But better things were not always the case for me, so I came to a point that there is nothing that needs to be changed outside. I need to change.
I need to stop controlling things and just go where the river flows. Letting go is freedom.
I remember when I was waiting by the road side, I didn’t know what was ahead of me. This was the time when I was no longer part of the Matrix, at least for some time. I didn’t know if living off my savings will last. I didn’t know if it’s going to be good or bad at my next destination. What if someone steals my stuff? What if I die along the way?
I embraced the uncertainty. It was difficult but it was freedom.
I live up to my favorite Spanish phrase: "venga lo que venga".
Come what may.
There was no control of earning more, buying more, protecting my savings and defending my ego. On the road, I offered myself to the world as a bait, there was no use to trying to control things. I trust that the universe will protect me, and I just enjoy every moment of my journey.
Because you know why? Nothing lasts.
Protecting and getting attached to things will only imprison you. There are no guarantees to everything in life. Whether you like it or not, you will lose something. You might lose everything. Face the truth as early as now.
You will lose your job, you will lose your money, you will lose your title, you will lose your loved ones, you will lose yourself. Everything has an end. This is the truth I remind myself every day. This is why it is good for me not to be attached to anything.
So what should I do then?
Enjoy everything while it lasts.
Great post, thanks for sharing! I gave you a vote. I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you.
This is the style of free-thinking i like. You arrive and leave with nothing so enjoy what you collect on the way but don't be afraid to put it all down again before leaving :)
And yes, through experience people can arrive at this state of thinking. It is difficult to see the reality and most people cannot swallow the truth. So they continue living up to their illusions, until one day, they lost 'it' all....
The only thing that matters is what we do at this moment. When things end, people will remember us, but only up to a certain point. Especially, if we just spent all our lives protecting our wealth, our ego and our possessions. None of these will even matter in the end.
Very true :) Looking forward to my next time away from the grind for some easy living doing simple things and living for the day.
Ok looking forward to your posts about it. :)
I'll see what i can do for you ;)
It is good to recognize that if they can take it from you, it was never really yours to begin with. I once fought hard to get things, and to keep them. After I lost literally everything, I found my self with only the shirt on my back.
That is when I discovered there were many things far more important than the house, the vehicles, tools, or money. I live in a community, and people I had never met, who knew me not at all, began to be what I had.
I found what I had was far more than what I lost.
It is difficult to describe the grief at losing that war I felt, but, for reasons I will not elucidate, it will never go away. What is more difficult is to describe my current unconcern for things.
The only real possessions I have are my tools, and I know I can walk away from them without any grief. I have a measure of self-respect, and only I can take that from me. I have relationships, and they transcend things.
Relationships are worthy of my time.
I guess what I learned about me was that I cared about what I had because I was attached to the fact I had earned it. Now I realize that earnings aren't more valuable than blessings.
Indeed, the reverse is true.
I was also attached to the fact that I earned it, but then when I lose things, I realized that they were not really that valuable. I might as well just share things and make others happier. I don't have to spend my time and all my life protecting things and being selfish to others.
Relationships are indeed worthy of time.
My issue is my unconcern for things that I become reckless, to a point that I just lose and lose things. That I no longer value what I had earned.
I'll see what's on the other side...
I will hope that you are touched by the blessings you receive. I remember best those things I had that I gave away, as the twinge of regretful greed at the recollection keeps them fresher in my mind.
Of all the things I lost, my dogs I miss the most, as they actually loved me. TBQH, dogs aren't things at all, but the best people I have ever met. Really wish I could say that about my family LOL
I'm always thankful for what I have, like the basic things in life - a roof over my head, food, water.
I love my cat. ;)
I don't have much, just memories and experiences stored in my mind. Those will not be taken away from me.
So here I am, I write.
When I was very young, 18, 19, or so, I once took to a tiny cabin in the woods in Juneau, Alaska, and lived there for a bit. For me, it was not overly hard, but most of my protein was fish and squirrels, in their abundance. Despite my enjoyment of both, an opportunity to change the diet a bit came up, and a large porcupine died for the cause.
I have regretted many things in my life, but rarely as much as I did killing that porcupine. My cat, however, was quite grateful, and ate the whole thing, as I could not. Porcupines taste like black tar, if it was made of meat, marinated in kerosene. No amount of blanching, smoking, or any kind of preparation fixes this.
When I came out of the woods, and returned to the marvels of civilization, I felt amazed at things I had not thought of much, like cloth. Porcupine hides make poor underwear, and squirrels, to my chagrin, are too small for small clothes. Hot baths, electric light, music I didn't have to screech myself... such wonders continue to be appreciated by me, perhaps far beyond what most folks reckon them to be worth.
I, in Alaska, could not make a clock with sticks, stones, water and mud. But I could buy a marvelous watch for $10.
No king 500 years ago could have sent his armies to conquer some citadel and capture at any cost in lives and treasure such a cheap and unremarkable Casio, but today we have this internet, phones, and, now Steemit.
Wonders never cease!
This is making me feel like I want to go to Alaska, mainly for the nature. I travel more for nature. It just makes me happy.
My travel made me realized that I didn't really need much, I am living a simple life by choice. And I have more space for other things more important in life.
You travel for the right reasons, I reckon.
I noted that by shedding stuff, like a crab shedding it's exoskeleton, I grew room for better things.
I'll be moving in a week or so, as the jobsite where I am living will become someones home, and the new tenants will prefer I am not living in their home. I can relate, as I don't want to live with them either!
Next!
Everything is always at flow and in constant change. Do not get attached to the good or be annoyed by the bad as it will not last. Do not judge the moment but be very aware of it.
That is basically what they taught me at a vipassana retreat.
While it is easy to understand on an intellectual level, it is hard to understand on an emotional level.
If you reach it though you are on your way to enlightenment and true freedom.
Unfortentatly I am not good at letting go, especially people but traveling will teach me that.
It is difficult as it is our nature to be attached, that's what makes us human. But when we lose things, it will be a bit easier to be detached after.
We can only enjoy whatever have for as long as it lasts.
sometimes I hate being human ;-)
I'm half machine lol
this is when i go for a smoke.haha
good evening
Let's go for a smoke then. ;)
Que dura verdad , suena duro pero es la realidad debemos vivir sin ninguna clase de apegos , asi nos sentiremos libres descargados, muy buena reflexión @diabolika
Gracias por leer!
It is great... certainly easier said than done. Thank you.
True. Having the mindset is a start.
Detachment is a very difficult thing to do and I admire the fact that you have let go and are flowing within the stream of life. All you need is your spirit and good health. Stay safe.
Peace and love !!!
It is very difficult, but until you lost many things, you'll know how it is.
meep
The universe might not necessarily protect you in the way that you think it should... the plans it has do not necessarily take into consideration our personal safety. So keep an eye out, take care. and enjoy the slide!
I agree and even that, I should not be attached to the idea that the universe will protect me all the time.
But most of the time it did. And that is why I am still breathing right now...
I love this, it's a daily struggle to try not to control things as we wander thru life. We always think if only...it's difficult to let go and just be. 🐓
Beautiful post! :)