The journey may have been good to us mostly but if we continue to allow the journey itself to be the only thing that guides us, then we're bound to end up in situations that can really cause detrimental harm, in all ways.
I reflect on this now as it has been a reoccurring theme in a large majority of the lives of the people I primarily concern myself with. I suppose there must be something to that. (I try to say as nonchalantly as possible, but hardly mean it that way...)
Why? That is indeed curious in itself. I have a number of likely theories, but I'll keep them to myself for now.
More importantly, I would like to stress how crucial it is to remain grounded. No matter the exploration, no matter the journey it is necessary to hold on to a few key markers of our own personal identities.
So what if we cannot define these keys, these fundamental fragments, if you will? What if they're constantly changing? What if we don't know where to place our next heading? These are perfect indicators that we are moving too fast. If we lose sight and don't hold on to at least these small concepts of ourselves and our reality then we will inevitably find ourselves lost. We will find failure. We may find something much, much worse. The duration of time we can remain this way could be temporary, bruising our knees, or permanent, crippling us for life. In short, it should not be taken lightly. In most cases when we know not ourselves, we know not the consequences. In fact, I'll be pretentious to go as far to say, in ALL cases...
So, ask yourself (as I've posed this question so many times in the past), "Do I really know who I am?"
Do you know what that means... to know yourself? To what extent is even a bigger question. I could tell you, I suppose, but it won't do you any good. But what I can and will tell you is when you think you've found your answer, you haven't.
Knowing one's self takes constant assessment. I would go as far to say that it takes an exceptional effort at times. Not only does it involve the assessment of ourselves and our accumulative experience, but of those around us as well.
Whether we choose to accept or not, we exist on multiple plains. Ultimately, it's up to us if we want to accept these levels of consciousness or shun them completely. Either has its fair amount of consequence, positive and negative.
Personally, I recommend somewhere in-between. Don't fly too far too fast but try your best to not become a boulder in a dull stream either. Those who seek this "in-betweeness" come to understand that that's all it's about anyway, balance. It is in the nature of balance to never fully comprehend it, thus balance would no longer have a meaning... and we're not to talking about ripping apart space and time... yet.
On balance, it's important to consider the validity of your perceptions. Self-doubt is a good indication of sanity. Simultaneously, a portion of insanity may just be what we need to progress. This means more than just sounding cleverly worded.
Generally, as a self-rule, I don't write these sorts of things. Somehow, it makes me feel, guilty... hypocritical. Seeing as how I usually get massively irritated by the transparent intellectual/spiritual "revelations" of others, often biting my tongue until it bleeds. If I've ever told you that my tongue was bleeding, and obviously it wasn't, yes, I insulted you.
However, my hopes are that by providing contrast of my personal, normal behavior and my feelings associated with (what I will say) "lightly" similar topics discussed by others, will stress this particular blog's significance.
I am confident that what I speak is truth. It is not convoluted or really all that complex. That being said, don't take it as innate knowledge, redundant fortune-cookie wisdom, or even basic intuition. Even if these things are all true, this is also true:
The easiest things in life to take for granted are the simple ones.
You can take all of this at face value or read into it much further. I'll let that be your choice, just as I always have.
Paraphrased (sorta) from an old, wise person (who may or may not be dead or perhaps never even existed):
An overly cautious person listens so intently that they lack the true sight to evaluate the situation properly, leaving them nowhere.
Inversely, someone who can't seem to keep their mouth shut, curiously tends to find themselves in a similar position.
However, for the wise, listening and waiting for the right moment is all that can be done.
