Myth of the Self-Made

“You must have had
so much will power
to finish your book!”
someone asked.

“No.
I finished it,
because I promised
my kickstarter backers.”
I answered.

“You must have had
so much courage
to leave your comfortable job
to go to art school.”
someone asked.

“No.
I went to art school,
because it was the only ray of hope
I was offered
by a stranger.”
I answered.

Everything I’ve done
that seems difficult
was done
because someone supported me
to do it.

Lonely not Isolated

When we see art
we see our loneliness depicted in the art
and in that moment
we realize that we’re not alone
in our loneliness

and somehow we can feel a surge of strength supported

At the end of the day
we are all alone at some level

Unless we hold hands with another person
and die exactly at the same time with them
we will die
alone.

Unless we vow to only make decisions
unless someone else approves of our decisions
we will make decisions
alone.

The question is
are we isolated
in our loneliness
or are we
connected
through our loneliness
or supported in our loneliness

Giving Advice

There are
at least two ways
of giving advice.

One,
what most do,
is tell people
what they should do.

Two,
is laying out for people
a variety of options,
asking them to add more,
discussing their consequences or influences of their outcome
on the lives of those who choose each
then let them make the final decision