THE NEXT STEP (PART 3 OF 3)
The Next Step
Finally, we get to the next step. So, let
me ask you again: what is the next step in your life? “If today were one of
those days, if today you could take a step forward to transform your life as a
martial artist or just as a human being (turn it around completely or as far as
you want), what would that next step be?” Is it to work less, spend more time
with family and friends, retire, travel more, do what you have always wanted to
do, improve your health, exercise more, rest more, become better…, etc.? Any of
these steps are fine and can make a small or big difference in your life; but
to me, for your life from the existential standpoint, it is not enough. These
steps may improve your life in certain aspects of it, but they will not
transform your life and, definitely, they do not lead you to become the best version
of yourself.
If you really look back, most of us have
spent most of our lives on trivial activities like gathering knowledge, wealth,
beauty, fame, possessions, and relationships; trying to be productive, good,
and better than others; and living up to the expectations of society, fashion,
parents, mentors, coaches and bosses. Society, religion, and culture have
imposed tremendous pressure on us to be productive, efficient, good, and better
and to amass more wealth, possessions, knowledge, fame, friendships; etc., all
measured in quantities, and not on meaningfulness.
But in that process, we have forgotten to
live, to exist. Most human beings are living but are dead! They died a long
time ago. They have become robots. They are so busy that they forgot to just exist.
They are dead alive! Is living like this worth it? You can see this
everywhere right now. People are consumed by the mobile devices to mask the
fact that they are afraid to be alone, silent, with no entertainment. The
reality is that we are afraid to be alone with ourselves. We have taken life
for granted. We have taken our bodies, minds, and almost absolutely everything
for granted. As such, we have made conclusions and have ignored everything that
we take for granted completely. In fact, we have become callused. We barely can
see and feel anymore. We are just too consumed in our heads by overthinking. We
are not living this creation; we are living in our heads. And that’s a shame!
Remember the conversation above about us
versus the animals? Animals seem to have some sense of self-awareness, but they
are fixed in terms of free will. Basically, they are driven by their instincts
with very little leeway outside of that. But in these confines, with very
little possibilities, they live and die to the max for what they were designed.
We see this all around us in nature. They are happy just eating, sleeping,
resting, playing and procreating.
Humans, on the other hand, have been
blessed with two very important traits, self-awareness and free will, which are
the gateways to individuality, to travel inwards, to introspect, to search and
be inquisitive not only about ourselves, but also about our surroundings and
our connection between us and everything. These traits make us unique, not
special or better, and can let us do things that no other species can like
transcending our biology, dictating our state of being, getting self-realized,
becoming really free, and so much more. In other words, wouldn’t you want
the next step to be a gate to “the best you can be,” to your max potential and
infinite possibilities as a human being…to your true nature? It is here
where the endless possibilities and max potential that I have been talking
about so much previously reside! Each of you have them, but you must work hard
to take advantage of them.
But our advanced mind, as powerful as it
is, is also the thing that hunt us the most. Basically, it is working against
us all the time. This is the reason why we suffer so much in this life. Because
we do not know how to handle it. In fact, we do not really know how to handle
most of ourselves, including our bodies, minds, emotions/feelings, and
energies. For instance, when we eat, we are usually feeding our mind instead of
our body; we live traumatized by the past and worried about the future instead
of living in the present; we are always competing with each other instead of
just working together for a common goal; we always want more instead of being grateful
for what we have; we act and behave depending on the pressures put on us by
others instead of just acting and behaving according to our own nature; we are
usually looking for entertainment and pleasure to escape reality instead of
living this reality as it is; etc.; etc.
Do you really want to continue living like
this? To me, it is simple! Just answer these two questions: What do you really
own? And what can you take with you when you die? The answer to these questions
should shake you up, if you answer them honestly and look at them from the
existential standpoint. Although most of us know the answers or can deduct the
answers, they can be blunt and shocking if we really pay attention to their
message. Unfortunately, we have decided to ignore them all of our lives. The
truth is that we do not own anything; that we are just borrowing absolutely
everything temporarily, including our family, friends, possessions, knowledge,
fame, beauty, etc.; and that we cannot take anything with us when we leave.
Nothing! Only our experiences…what we have learned.
If this is true, then shouldn’t the next
step be to wake up, reevaluate your life and make some life changing decisions
that will make a difference in your life, the lives of everyone around you, and
the world. Do you really want to wait for something traumatic or death to
happen in order to realize that this world is designed to keep you busy and
entertained so you do not think, so you do not question yourself and/or the
establishment and so you do not look at your priorities and ask yourself: what
the hell have I been doing? And for what? Is it worth it?
Your next step, if you choose to do this,
should be to start moving from the outside to the inside, a journey or process
to get back in touch with the real you, a journey in and within. A journey
where you start destroying who you think you are and start creating a new you
based on a completely new paradigm. In other words, we have been blinded by,
and have been living completely influenced by, our environment: our own
education, knowledge, beliefs, identifications, values, judgements and
prejudices. It is time to destroy all these and recreate ourselves anew where
we live more consciously, where our minds are calmer, where our emotions are on
check, where we live in the now, where we work constantly on ourselves to be
the best version of ourselves, and where we do not simply believe but question
and experience everything.
For that, we must detach from everything
and simply let go. But for most people, the concept of letting go can be hard
to understand and, even worse, to put into practice. Letting go is basically
the art or practice of opening the mind, heart and hands and letting everything
go. It is about unclogging the way you think and live, simplifying life one
step at a time. Simple! It is usually a spiritual (yogic or religious) concept
or practice in which you are subtracting more than adding and where you are
shedding and letting go of ideas, possessions, knowledge, control, fear, the
past, etc. as you go, little by little, day by day. Letting go is a
daily, constant practice of getting rid of and detaching from everything you
think you want, need and/or own!
It is not necessarily that you do not own
anything and live in poverty. To the contrary, it is the practice of putting
space between you and (distance yourself from) what you own, or think you own,
including your body, mind, knowledge, money, possessions, relationships, fear,
control, the past, etc. This concept of letting go is not easy when we have
been educated to add more, to want more, and to not subtract; when today’s
culture is a “me-centric” culture based on consumption, waste and proliferation
where you are at the center of the universe and everyone and everything is
around for you to use; and when we actually understand very little about our
complex mental, psychological, and emotional structures that make us who we
are.
In summary, most of us cannot let go
because we are continuously resisting, because we are unable to accept what is.
We are not accepting who we are but are creating who we think we
are. We are also not accepting our existence but are creating (with the help of
education, culture, propaganda, identifications, etc.) this sometimes not very
meaningful life based on, basically, survival. Unfortunately, the result is a
mind-created persona filled with fear and misunderstanding, that spends the
entire life in the pursuit of sometimes trivial and meaningless goals. The
truth is that most human beings are just living a completely biological life
where you are born, get some education, work, have a family, grow old and die.
There is nothing wrong with this, but from
the existential standpoint, we and our lives can be tremendously more than
this. We can be an infinite life with boundless possibilities and potential. To
do so, we need to stop resisting and start letting go by embracing
inclusiveness without possession and by using tools like love, gratitude,
forgiveness, compassion, empathy and humility. Bliss, wisdom and
freedom do not come through possession but rather through our capacity to open
our hearts, minds, and hands; to learn to love more fully; to let go; and to be
more humble, kind and compassionate. Remember, we are not staying here forever.
So, let go of as much as you can, as we are merely travelers just passing
through!
The Final Message
Finally, for the martial artists and the
athletes, whether you are active or not, you are spending, or have spent, years
practicing, learning how to control and manage mainly your body and secondarily
your mind, challenging yourself to be your best version of yourselves. Are you
going to stop right at this point and stay simply in your physicality? Is
practicing and/or teaching all you ever wanted? Isn’t that passion for
something better still burning deeply inside? You already have the tools
necessary to succeed in life: self-discipline, self-control, hard work,
perseverance, and passion. Taking that next step is just a given, is a
continuation of what you have been doing, is your last step and final level, and
is what you have really been longing for all of these years, but you did not
know or realize it, or you simply ignored it. This is your chance!
For everyone, whether you are a martial
artist, an athlete or not, it doesn’t matter where you are or what you have
done. If you are ready, take a leap of faith and jump into the unknown, work
on transcending your biology with tools like meditation, contemplation, and
introspection; traveling inwards; and not just believing but experiencing things.
Believing is not going to take you anywhere because you will be fighting
against everything else, including your own nature. For the first time in
your life, learn to manage, not control, your physical, mental, emotional and
energetic bodies; tame your ego and your mind; let go; accept what is; question
everything and learn to say “I do not know” because “the moment you realize, ‘I
do not know,’ the longing, the seeking, and the possibility of knowing become a
living reality,” says Sadhguru. This is your next step; this is where your max
potential is, and this is where your endless possibilities are!
The only
way out is to go in! This should be your next step! Now, just do it!
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Author: Maurice Correa
Website: pathtoone.com
Blog: p2oblog.blogspot.com
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