Crushing Me

It crushes me,

With it’s death-binding grip,

I want to be free,

I want to breathe,

But in moments like these,

It’s clasp won’t cease to squeeze,

 

It crushes me,

A tower high in the sky,

Standing far above my head,

No matter how hard I try,

Inescapable,

 

It crushes me,

How my own expectations,

Are impossible, unattainable,

They manifest my limitations,

With force I push forward,

I must reach my destination!

And it’s with those words,

That I run into more frustration,

 

It is my own narrowed mind,

My own greedy ego,

That generates my confinement,

For I am my own greatest foe.

The World’s Way of Speaking

When it gets down to that moment,

That moment I must say the right words,

I stress, and I fret and I panic,

All I can hear are the birds,

At first I try to ignore them,

To let the annoyance pass,

I have things to do, I have those words to say,

Yet the birds continue to harass,

With anger I curse them and their songs,

I need to attend to what lay in front of me!

But it’s the world that I should be listening to,

If I want my soul to be free,

I bind myself down,

To material concerns,

But instead I must let go,

It’s a hard lesson to learn,

Slowly I stop myself and listen,

Quieting my silent scream,

The birds are life’s way of speaking,

Saying far more than at first it may seem,

–mrprose

The Art of Letting Go

Learn to let go of things in life, even the things you love.

My first impression to that statement is fear and refusal. It doesn’t make any sense. At least, it doesn’t feel like a natural thing to do, as if you almost have to learn the skill. We’re even encouraged in a way, to hold onto the things we have, and that shows me how backwards things are. Material things say nothing about a person. I could be brilliant and poor as a peasant (Mozart for example, didn’t know how to handle his money).

Does a house, even one as gorgeous as this one, really say that much about a person. Does it say anything at all?(Photo credit: blmiers2)

The whole concept of letting go, in fact, is scary. It is to me, at least. When you work hard for something, or you rely on something for support or comfort, you ordinarily wouldn’t want to get rid of it quickly. When that something goes away, you have to break out of your routine, and step out of bubble you were living in. You have to adjust. We center our lives around certain things, and when you hate your life, the few things you hold onto become so much more vital, so much more crucial to stay grounded. They go so far as to remind you of who you are. Or so you think.

Maybe holding on to those things, things in general really, is what holds one back. Maybe the attachments actually get in the way of living. You can’t stop worrying about that muffin top you recently developed. Perhaps your new shirt can never be worn because it looks so nice. Maybe those things take away from the experience of life. Is that a ridiculous thing to think? I know that when I have forced things to happen in the past, the natural flow is shoved aside, and everything turns sour. Part of acceptance is letting things be. Part of living in the moment is letting things happen.

I think the biggest thing about holding onto things that holds one back is that it keeps one attached to material things, earthly objects. If I become too attached to my computer, my clothes, my phone, my books, my furniture, even things like my reputation, I remain living at a shallow level, a level that is held in place by my wants for material pleasure. One may find comfort in objects, but it’s not true comfort. Furthermore, one’s true self really is so much more than a collection of ‘things.’

Everything Must Go – Movie Cover (Photo credit: Brian Sahagun)

As was rather nicely shown in the movie Everything Must Go, the protagonist had to let go of all of his things to move forward in life, to move beyond on all the problems that plagued his life. I think Will Farrell does a fantastic job in that movie in showing that there is so much more out there if you can move beyond the sentimental attachments that we create. If you want to change your life, one of the first steps is to let go of the things you have, which change’s one’s view on objects in general.

Nobody said letting go was easy, and I’m certain not about to say otherwise. I haven’t let go of many things yet myself. I think more than anything, I hold onto my image. It really isn’t anything at all, just an idea I have of myself, but I value it highly and find that I struggle in just shrugging it off. It matters to me, but I must learn to let it go, because image really shouldn’t be where all my attention is put, and let’s not forget that the human body is really only a vehicle for my true self, my soul.

Letting go is an art, something we must discover, something that does not come from a

Let go (Photo credit: Brandon Doran)

thinking, heady place, but rather a feeling place. Feeling life and going with the flow of the energies around you doesn’t mean giving up investing your enthusiasm and love into living, nor does it mean giving up the things you love in life. Because when you let go, you don’t have to forget and move on, and I believe that when you make a strong connection with something, it doesn’t ever truly die away or leave you. It becomes a part of you. Remember, those things (people, aspects of yourself, experiences) do not solely exist at the material plane. They transcend that level.

And it should be said that you don’t have to hold onto something to have it be a part of your life. The things you love won’t just leave. You may think they will, but they won’t.

Letting go requires a certain level of acceptance and openness towards life. I truly believe we must learn to let go of the many things in life, even things we think we love. If that aspect of your life is meant to be in your life, it’ll stay.

A great question of life is how to live. Must you always do, perform and accomplish, or are you content simply to be?

–mrprose

Related articles

• The Process of Letting Go (openheartedshaman.wordpress.com)
• The Art of Letting Go & The Roots of Courage (abundantwildlife.typepad.com)
• The “Art” of Letting Go (elfinfun.wordpress.com)

Finding The Right Structure

Hello again,

Yesterday I asked the Friday Question, Structure or No? I’m really glad I got some truly in-depth answers, because it really is a subject that demands a bit of thinking. Something basically everyone said was that structure is necessary for humans, if even just a little. We need some way to stay grounded, and although we’re an incredibly adaptable species, there is a limit to how far we can go.

There is structure in much of life. Even the leaves are built in a certain way. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have to say that I agree. I am a very artistic person, and I still need to set myself up with at least a skeleton of a schedule or a plan so that I am not completely lost. Nature set human beings up with natural structures of their own. An example would be the will to live or instincts like the drive to eat. As mishaburnett put it quite nicely in the comment section, “A baby crying to be fed is not unstructured–it is the infant responding to his or her internal structure.”

So we do need structure, and I believe to varying degrees – I think it all depends on on who we are and our past experiences/views on life. If I was kept on a three foot leash until age 16, I’m sure I would do anything for a bit of freedom. If I was more exposed to what it was like to be on my own, maybe I would be able to handle life with a more level head, with a more comfortable level of structure.

I should clarify what I said from yesterday. I do not believe all doctors and lawyers live orderly lives, nor do I believe all comedians and artists live disorganized lives. I recognize a career can be separated from personal life (sometimes), but as a whole, certain jobs do require more focus from the left-brain, more analytical thinking, more numbers and more studying, while others do not call for such things.

Ugh, it turns my stomach just thinking about working there. (Photo credit: yuan2003)

Here’s the thing, though: some say to balance work (being a lawyer for example) with art (being a comedian, say by night). My response to that is a bit more on the risky side. I do not believe that just doing a job and then focusing your art as a hobby always works for everyone. Perhaps it does for some, but certainly not all. Firstly, a great many people cannot handle certain atmospheres, no matter the pay. I know for sure that I will never be able to work in an office or at a desk unless they’re my writing office/desk. I simply do not have the capacity to do monotonous work. I know that I am just a kid, but I also know with all my being that I have passions that I want to explore, and so a cubicle is not an option for me.

That’s why I say that finding the perfect balance for yourself is to go for what you love, and then implement structure. Maybe you do need to work odd jobs for a while. Maybe you have to start off small, give yourself scheduled non-

Art brings me closer to God (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

structure. But I believe that lack of structure in some form is vital for human growth. If we stuck to the same system forever. We wouldn’t even be cavemen. Innovation is only possible when you break the rules sometimes.

The biggest thing is to let that artist within you to grow. It will feed you as a person, and bring you closer to God, to your own pure soul. I know that passionate artists are exploring, they’re discovering. They’re learning things about themselves and others. About God and about the universe. I think we need to structure our lives in a way that we can explore these extraordinary gifts that we have.

–mrprose

Related articles

• Friday Question: Structure or Not? (deepthinkings.wordpress.com)

Friday Question: Structure or No?

Hello!

So here we go, question time! As is now the tradition for a Friday at this blog, I ask about something controversial, something that hopefully takes a little thought, and you my readers, respond in kind with your answers. As always, I’m pumped!

Structure (Photo credit: p medved)

Okay so here it is, and be open-minded: which kind of lifestyle is better to live, a structured one, or an unstructured one? For example, is it better to let a kid grow up under constant watch (quite common), being guided more than not, or is it better to let a kid grow on their own, exploring as they feel the need? The choice is presented for everyone – live a life of routine, safety, or have an ever-changing schedule, one that presents a bit more risk, a bit more chance?

Many believe a rigid lifestyle instills certain valuable qualities every individual needs. Do you agree with that? What about all of those kids encouraged to be either a doctor or a lawyer? Those require fairly structured lifestyles, to say the least. So the question is, are they good? Being an artist or a comedian as an example, provides a weaker income (unless you’re well known), and the lifestyle for many of those kinds of people could be described as a bit less structured. Is that better than being a doctor/lawyer?

More importantly than anything else, what do you believe leads a better life, a happier life? Is it better to have structure or not?

I’ll be back tomorrow. Excited to read comments!

–mrprose