One
of the most effective ways
to numb
is through pleasure.
If we take pleasure
in our work
it’s as if we are not injured
as a byproduct.
But then
out of the blue
one deep conversation
can pierce through that veil
and outcomes
the pouring of tears.
Category: Short Form
Judgment
The Feeling of Support
While we may think
that we’re providing autonomy
for the employees’ benefit,
our employees
can actually feel
left alone
without support.
While we may think
that we’re expressing our concern
for the company’s benefit
our employers
can actually feel
uncared for
without support.
…
Support
is an event.
Just
as the confidence of an engineer
does not guarantee
whether the structure they built
is supportive,
our intention to support
does not guarantee
that support
happens.
Mattering
What’s crushing
is less the hurdle
or challenge,
no matter how insurmountable
they may seem.
What’s crushing
is the feeling
that our actions
don’t matter,
that our efforts
don’t matter,
that we
don’t matter.
That we are helpless.
That it is hopeless.
Receiving and Giving vs Being and Creating
May we ask
whether we desire
being
and creating with someone
or giving to
and receiving from them.
The more we want to give to,
or receive from someone,
the harder it can become
to be
or to create with them.
Being
or creating with someone
requires being present,
without expectation,
suspending our need
to fulfill a need,
and instead
letting emergence guide us
through uncertainty.
Validation vs Vengefulness
Sometimes
the challenge
is less believing in ourselves
and more believing in others
who believe in us.
Sometimes
our craving for validation
is not mere craving
for validation
but craving validation
from specific someone
or group of people
because we do not deem enough
the validations we’ve already
received.
Sometimes
what we crave
is not mere validation
but revenge
born out of the desire
to prove certain people
wrong.
Isolation of Wealth
Few people understand
the feeling of isolation
that comes
from being
wealthy.
Nor do they
want to.
Which makes this feeling
even more
isolating.
I Envision
I
envision a world,
where each and every one of us,
from the moment we’re born
until the day we die
can feel certain
there’s at least one person
we can reach out to
at any given moment
who can and will support us
in a way
that actually makes us feel
supported.
Vison vs Goal
A goal
is something you can
achieve.
A vision
is a guide
that directs your life.
If all we have
are goals,
once we achieve them
we can get
lost.
If all we have
is a vision,
it can be hard
to make
progress.
Hamster Wheel
It’s easy to think
that the things
other people want us to do
are more important
than what we want to do.
It can seem
that doing what we want to do
is selfish and bad
while doing what others want us to do
is altruistic and good.
And yet,
we are the proverbial “other people”
to somebody else.
May we pause
to deeply wonder
what it is we’re doing
and ask ourselves
the wonderous question
of “why?”
Why have we prioritized
certain tasks
over others?
May we live life
as the wonderous
and paradoxical
mystery
that it is
instead
of merely a series of problems
to be solved,
otherwise
our lives
can easily turn into something
akin
to a hamster wheel.