TC (our animal photographer from some days ago) mentioned an old article of mine where I'd said: "I think the world would be a better place if everyone were more open about things..."
My older sister, after reading another article of mine many years ago, said to me: "from the article you sound like a very open person, and I don't think you are really." I said "no, but it's my ideal".
I've made a lot of progress since, but still have a ways to go.
TC added: "I think that it is cool that you are at least aware that you are not yet where you want to be (and really...whom among us can really say that we *are* there?!)"
Yes, that's important. Like Ghandi said: be the change that you want to see in the world. But it's not easy to see that. When I started out as a "seeker" as a very young man, I pretty much thought I was perfect. It was the world which was messed up, not me!
But the more I have improved myself over the years, the more my eyes have been opened to seeing how much more there was to improve yet.
And the more it makes sense to me that the problems we see in the world are really reflections of inner problems.
4 comments:
I always find that my own self-development projects just peter out. I don't stick with them. (Maybe I need to work on that?)
For instance, I have wanted to "be the sort of guy who" does certain things -- gets up early to go for a run; writes a play (heavily politically satirical) in his spare time; takes a class in basic life-saving in case of emergencies around the work place or neighborhood. But I never "end up" doing any of these things. I've also considered going on a weight loss regimen, because those last "10 vanity pounds" could stand to be eliminated. But the long-term goals never materialize. I don't stick with the day-to-day plan. EVER.
Instead, I keep doing the same things that I LIKE to do, randomly jumping from one to another: for instance, regarding the exercise thing, watching soccer and playing it. I think that if I were to ever get real success out of weight-loss, it would have to be either (a) in the context of giving up everything else in my life for six months (including my work, my travel to and from work, and other common things like interacting with other people) in order to just go to some long-term spa-care type facility dedicated to that one goal; or (b) have the goal itself magically turn out that it was "natural" by means of playing soccer (for instance) and other activities that I already "like."
I'd like to get a treadmill so that when I watch TV I can jog at the same time; but I live in a house where there's not room for that, and I don't have any say over the furniture layout. I'd like to go play on a recreational league team, but I have a job -- or I have to go to school -- and frankly, it's beyond me how ANYONE with a "regular" work-type employment position does ANYTHING "outside of work" except finish errands and then crash exhausted at the end of the day. I'd like to implement all of these things, but dangit ... I was born a citizen of the USA, and therefore my time simply is not, nor will it ever be, free. Work takes 100% of it. Grr.
"... (and really...whom among us can really say that we *are* there?!)"
The enlightened ones can. Enlightenment is about aring there. :-)
Yes indeed. But I think the enlightened are few. And I suspect that many who say they are, aren't, and some who don't speak about it, may be.
I have a theory that all those things, those guys that we want to be (I want to be a writer who writes a lot in cafes), if they continually don't happen, may not be right, no matter what we believe. (Better make a post.)
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