Think for a moment about your life. If you were to represent it with an image, how would you describe it? Is it easy for you to imagine it as a box? Or do you prefer an open container, with no lid on? Does anybody see it as an open space, with neither limits nor boundaries? Probably not many people find it easy to create this last image.
Most human beings, in fact, carry on their lives as if they were living inside a box. With a lid on. Some never lift the lid, others do it — but seldom. Their lives are restrained within well-defined boundaries that are never overcome. They do not even realize that these boundaries exist. They believe they are moving freely here and there, while their narrow-mindedness does not allow them do see beyond their noses.
When someone talks about his rights, but neglects to take the rights of others into considerations, he (or she) is living in a box of selfishness.
When someone else is stuck in the same routine day after day and refuses any possible change, he is living in a box of pre-conceived ideas. Believing you are the most important individual of the Universe, thus relating everything that happens to your own precious person, pushes you down at the bottom of a box labeled “self-centeredness.” (It’s almost impossible to get out of this one, beware.) There are so many such petty little boxes where people (too many, helas) are contented to just exist, who don’t mind looking at an extremely limited horizon, where they don’t ever care to ask questions, where they are not interested in learning and knowing anything more, anything new or different. “What for?” they say. “I have everything I need for a comfortable existence”. Fine. Just like a kitten who, once it has its bowl of milk and its cozy bed, is thoroughly fulfilled. Good for them.
Other human beings live in a larger container with no lid. They accept their life as it is, with its limits and boundaries but, at the same time, they do not refuse to take new ideas into consideration. Every now and then they raise their heads above the rim and have a look around. Most of them may not have enough courage and dare to fully accept novelty, creativity, innovation. But, at least, they make the effort to listen and “think”.
They would like to learn more, they study new subjects, follow what is going on in the realm of science, of art, of culture in general. They like to be informed — and not only on the latest gossip about film stars, pop singers or sports icons. They are not anxiously waiting for the day when the newest technological device will be available. Nevertheless, they are not capable of making the leap to get out of the box.
A minority lives in an open space, i.e. a place where anything is possible, where everything is considered as a possibility. Here each day is a new opportunity. Here every failure is seen as a useful lesson which encourages you to try again. Here no chance to improve oneself is missed because the individual keeps his (or her) eyes open. We say that the people who live in awareness are “awake”, and so they actually are.
Being aware — as by now you should hopefully know — means to stay alert, means not to lie on the laurels of self-satisfaction. While being content with what you have is a must (because it is a spiritual necessity in every instant) it should not prevent you from desiring to improve yourself, to acquire more knowledge, to step on a higher rung on the “ladder” of your life.
It is sad to see so many beautiful fellow human beings who are smart, who are gifted, who are skilled, who have great capacity to search, to discover, to experience, to climb, to soar… laying down flat on the ground, with no ambition or worthy goal. But, once again, the choice is theirs. (I know that I keep coming back to this topic quite often but, after all, isn’t the title of this column “Creative Thinking”?)
E-mail: [email protected]
Blog: recreateyourlifetoday.blogspot.com
