Friday, October 21, 2022
I once owned a cat who I had to keep indoors because he climbed into my neighbor’s birdhouse and was killing her birds! Once he had to stay indoors, he’d sit by the window and howl. He longed to go out. In the house he was physically safe, but mentally distressed.
Humans do this to themselves – we sit by the window, and while that seems safe, it’s distressing. We are animals, and we have a need to explore, to go out even if it’s “dangerous.” But we try to avoid or to control our environment, rather than trust it, like animals do. Yes, there are predators and dangers “out there.” But there are dangers of sitting on the sidelines. You’ll torment yourself that way. You’ll howl at the window eventually, and you’ll learn that being trusting is the only way to live happily.
There’s really no way to separate yourself from your environment nor control it. You are the environment. You’re cut from the same material. Animals live with what threatens them each day, and they do it, unknowingly. Humans avoid the environment, or try to control it, and that never works. Animals simply are one with their environment, and they deal with difficulty as it arises. They get wiser and stronger with each obstacle. You’re a wild creature. It’s your destiny to explore, not to avoid or try to manipulate. The only way is to not fear your environment, to let go of what’s not in your authority, and when difficulty arises, to get wiser and bounce back quicker. Don’t just stay inside and look out there. Death and danger will find you indoors too! Open the window, and go out. The wilderness calls.