The Path - Part Two
Some special people helped me kick around the ideas that became
this next installment. They know who they are. Thanks!
OK, so I've read The Artist's Way, I've written every morning for
12 weeks, I've listened to my little voice, followed its instructions, and
the world is pouring joy and opportunity in my direction. What now? Where
is the meaning? What am I supposed to do?
Here is another concept that I have been working on. In any great accomplishment - an expedition, an Ironman race, a pregnancy... the end result is only a piece of the greater picture. The event itself, the experience, is really about the journey. The process of getting to the destination rather than the destination itself.
What if we look at "the destination" or "the goal" as a state rather than a specific point? I always look at the world in terms of moving forward to an end - a deal, a lover, a sum of money, a house, a car, a race, a boat, a family, a child, a school... All of these things are points in a game - you can never truly win by achieving any (or all) of them. What if the goal is to achieve satisfaction and happiness in day-to-day living?
Satisfaction and happiness - a state that can be achieved by anyone; rich or poor, old or young. No barriers to entry. All you need is the right frame of mind.
I'll talk about myself for a little bit here.
At any given time, there is a direction that feels right for me, that is my path. Hop on the path and I know that I am doing the right thing... for now. It may change in the future, and it is certainly different than the past. However, right now, I am being true to myself and that little voice is happy. From that happiness comes an inner calm and an internal balance. This is what I call being "one", being whole, being true. Some folks thought I was talking about being alone. Not really, when I am "one" I can be alone or with someone. Either way, I am content with myself and my situation.
I've found many powerful changes coming out of that centered feeling. The three that have made the most positive impact on me are tolerance, patience and joy.
The world can be a pretty irritating place if you let it get to you. Specifically, when there are all these barriers between you and your goals. Between you and where you think you should be heading. I spent years heading in the direction that everybody told me was right. To be fair to "everybody", they didn't come right out and say it - I guess it was my own fault for doing what I thought I was supposed do rather than what I wanted to do.
There were all these things standing between me and where I had to be. I had this huge amount of stress on my shoulders because I knew that if I could only get to my goal, then everything would be OK. Combine that kind of attitude with my personality and you have a recipe for achievement, but I also didn't have a whole lot of tolerance and patience.
By adding a new concept, by being true to myself, I have achieved my goal. All of a sudden, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Traffic jams, lost luggage, delays, mistakes and errors. Do they really matter? Right now, they don't. The big picture is heading in the right direction, so why worry about the mosquitoes. Thinking about this further, perhaps I have just accepted myself more completely. I am very comfortable on the inside, so the outside world has a more difficult time creating stress.
Oh Gordo, it's easy for you to be relaxed! You're hanging down there in Oz. You don't have a worry in the world.
Well, if I wanted to get worried there is plenty of material. Finances,
injuries, stiffness, fear of failure, speed, physicality (or lack of!),
small business deals going wonky, no high-speed Internet connections. 
Believe me, I think about all of
these things, but for some reason they don't generate that stressed out
feeling I used to get. I am actually just as busy as when I was working.
There's plenty to do in each day. It's just the pace is more manageable
and I seem to laugh easier.
The joy in everyday living - different but related to - the joy in living every day. To me, the former sounds dangerously like "being happy with what you've got". That's something that winds me up because I believe that new experiences and continual progress are the key for achieving satisfaction.
To me, the joy in living is about being able to see the beauty in simple things, in things that are all around us. In a rainstorm, in the wind, in a bird sitting in a tree, in murky water, in a crying child, in a flat tire that shows you a wild flower at the side of the road, the smell of a eucalyptus forest. I find myself smiling and really enjoying experiencing all of these things. For me, it feels like I am simply enjoying life. When I returned to Hong Kong, I found myself enjoying the natural beauty of that place and all these things around me. Beauty... a double-edged sword. It can provide deep joy, but get too enthralled and sorrow follows. I have some ideas to share with you this winter.
So perhaps our purpose is to be on the path, true to that little voice. To give myself flexibility, I see the path as being fluid. Like the water in a river, we can change and flow as we are touched by the experiences and people around us. Fluid vis-à-vis the world, but always true to ourselves. So what is the destination? What is the goal? What is the meaning? The journey is the destination. When you have found the joy in simply living, you have reached your destination. That is my vision of enlightenment.
Of course, all this might change, but that would be okay too.
gordo - 5 November 2000