Saturday, August 7, 2021
Relationships, organizations, institutions, and even who we think we are – are all conceptual. Rigid concepts seem to be a target of challenge, that have the potential of ripping out what feels like a foundation upon which we seem to find firm footing. These challenging moments happen when health is suddenly threatened, relationships unravel, jobs are lost, lives are taken from us, untruths are exposed, etc. Each time you feel secure, grounded, and comfortable in having it all “figured out,” beware. You’re likely standing on a flimsy foundation.
Our concepts of “self” are built around what we consider mine, the “my,” that external concept of who we think we are. My partner, my sister, my daughter, my life, my purpose, my career, etc., have within them another “possession” – a false sense of identity. All of the “my’s” in your life are wobbly, no matter how you look at them. It’s because none of these things truly belongs to you anyway, and they are temporary. You can only “have” them, conceptually. They do not truly define you – nor can you “find” yourself in those relationships that you consider “mine.”
Hold gently to those things which you feel you “possess,” especially relationships – my partner, my husband, my friend. Do not claim them, brood over them, nor become possessive of them – they are not “yours,” anyway. Those people are free-thinking entities, searching for their own way too. It’s OK to enjoy people in your existence, but remember those conceptual relationships will become a point of uncertainty, eventually. All creatures, and all things are fluid, growing, evolving, and you cannot claim them as your own or box them into a definition of “mine.” But all of it, the uncertainty of what exists outside of ourselves, is how we truly become knowledgeable about what’s on the inside of ourselves, that which cannot possess a thing! That’s because the inward journey is always ongoing, it’s eternal, and you cannot ever box it into a concept, nor own it.