Self

There are so many self-help workshops and self-discovery books and self-awareness exercises out there that one might reason we have developed a meme of being a self-absorbed bunch of people. Where did all of this need for self-discovery come from? Is it because we need to find purpose? Is it because we need to find place? Is it because we have lost perspective of our personal appreciation? Perhaps we have lost our spiritual connections with…something.
I honestly believe that we possess issues that involve more than any single one of these above ideas. I also believe, however, that we tend to seek guidance through this mysterious journey into the self on the bows of boats going to no particular port. In other words, our self-this and self-that courses take us so far on this journey but only create within us a sense of stability relative to the world in which we function. In other words again, we have created an existence that ties us up with so much stress, burden, and scheduling that we become unbalanced and compromised. Our immune systems suffer; our minds are battered with a fireworks display of responsibilities. We find ourselves losing track of fundamental joys, and many adopt crutches that make everyday existence bearable, such as alcohol, smoking, video games, and such.
Eventually we can see that our spirits suffer and crave something more fulfilling, so we might seek some kind of stable and firm center from which to function. Thus, we enter the self-this and self-that world, and we learn how to slow our paces down and appreciate ourselves more. But is that really finding your true self? Is it true spiritual awareness and satiation? Or is it a relaxing pastime, like model airplane building or reading?
I submit that there is something much deeper and essential required in order to explore the place in this journey that the boat does not travel. It begins with this idea: In order to truly know your fundamental self, you must know the fundamental frame of reference by which you are defined. (I’m going to attempt to put what amounts to several chapters of this concept into a “nutshell” and get to the point.)
We exist on a planet that has at least two different worlds. One world is that which has been here since the inception of Earth and has created a process of evolution and life-sustenance based upon billions of years of chaos and order working together. We can call this world: Nature. It is, for all intents and purposes here, our fundamental reality. The other world is very new; it is an infant world. This is the world by which most of us define ourselves. It is the world of dreams—creations brought to physical existence from the mind. This is the world of artificial things that are tangible, but not real. This is the world that has given rise to amazing creations but also less virtuous traits, and, within which we seek money, fame, beauty, luxury, and power. This is the world that compromises our spirits, makes us lose our footing and center. We are born of the natural, real world, but we are born into the dream world. So, again, do you define yourself by human ideas of your wealth and status, your fashion sense, your company title? If so, are you defining your true self, or are you merely defining your place in society? Defining yourself by memes and fluctuating, subjective societal ideas is only describing your relative worth and position in the manmade world. This is not a true definition of your inherent essence, however. That must come from a fundamental reality. That reality is the natural world. When we define ourselves against the frame of reference or the ‘level’ of the natural world, we can then begin to know our natural place and purpose. Then we can use that level as a foundation for temperance and awareness, based upon a very simple universal truth. Further, it becomes clear that in order to find our true selves, we must let ourselves go. In other words, all of the self-this and self-that is just the boat, but the real understanding means disembarking. It is at this place we can recognize that we are more than ourselves, more than part of a people, but that we are part of everything. I know—that statement is almost hackneyed. It’s something you hear a Zen master telling the pupil in martial arts movies. However, there is a very big difference between appreciating its entertainment value versus experiencing what it really means.
I only write this as an invitation for you and the children to go outside, to step out of the rut and change perspective. I used to operate a martial arts school in Peterboro many years ago. I tried to teach nature awareness as part of my martial arts curriculum, but most people seemed only to want to practice the self-defense portion, so I ultimately closed the doors. But it hasn’t changed the fact that I’ve been trying to disseminate this information for over twenty years now, and I believe we have a responsibility to ourselves, our world, and our children. Going outside and enjoying nature—and I’m not really talking about four-wheeling and shooting things, so much as just taking walks and observing, truly taking it all in—fosters a like for the natural world. The more we learn, the more we like it, and, eventually, we rediscover our inherent love for nature. What we understand, we come to love; what we love, we protect. It’s springtime; play with the kids outside. Ask each other questions about anything to which your hearts lead you in nature. Sometimes it’s fun to find the answers in field guides, but it’s not a requirement, and it shouldn’t be. Sometimes the answers don’t come to you for a year or more, but that’s okay. It’s when we lose the desire to discover more, that we know our spirits need to find center once again.