I am writing this post while I am sitting in the park - interacting with nature and absorbing the moment. Nature reminds me of the natural flow of life, and how much everything is always in balance. Each time I visit the park, I come with the intention of breaking the usual routine and clearing my head. Ironically, the degree of presence that I feel while I am here makes it difficult to think about life outside of the present moment. You know, when I think about clearing my head, I think about doing some deep thinking and putting things into perspective. This is why I find it ironic that there seems to be nothing to clear when the lush green trees visibly surround me, and the calm wind is constantly blowing on me. The present moment feels divine. I am writing without seeming to give it much thought. My thoughts are flowing naturally. I am in awe. You see, I was conditioned (or almost conditioned) to believe that you become your best self by always being active, working hard, going for it...
I am in my mid-twenties, and most of what I have come to realize seems to contradict popular beliefs. Popular beliefs like:
- You must work hard to be successful
- If you are not doing anything, you are lazy or unproductive
- You must apply force in order to get what you want
- There is not enough, we always need to work for more
- Having fun means going out, going to parties, being around noise, and having people around you constantly
When I sit in nature, the conflicting nature of those beliefs is confirmed. I have learnt that while nothing is wrong with doing more, doing less can achieve so much more over the long term. One does not have to work hard in order to achieve anything. Doing nothing (physically) can be the most productive thing. The things that you want naturally flows to you once your thoughts, feelings and actions are aligned with those things. You do not need to apply force. Things simply flow as everything is abundant and already exists. There is enough of everything for everyone, and if there was not enough of a particular thing, we could create more through conversion. We are fine as we are. We have nothing but the present moment. Having fun can mean staying at home alone, thinking, writing or painting. What is fun depends on what a person likes.
Sometimes we fail to realize just how much we have, and just how adequate life is as it is, because we never break from the regular routine and quiet the noise that may result from the typical hustle and bustle of daily life.
Nature reminds me of who I truly am and what truly matters in this life. It reminds me that I am not alone and that it is okay to be in my own company. The present moment is life. Nothing more is needed for us to be successful, because the very act of being alive means that we have everything we need.
In early adulthood; which is usually the time when we break away from the environment of our family and start to explore the world on our own, it is important that we take time out to be in solitude - alone and away from the outside noise and the opinions of people (even our family and close friends). This time of reflection deepens our understanding of ourselves, and may even lead us to the realization that we have not been living as our true selves all along - but according to preconceived values which have been passed on to us during childhood.
If we never stop to reflect on what we have learnt and how those things influence our lives now, we may never figure out who we truly are and what we truly want.
Solitude is important at any stage of life. However, the earlier we embrace solitude, the easier life becomes. Knowing ourselves and understanding what we truly have to offer to the world will greatly assist us in having an amazing journey.
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