Brain Food #643
Being an atom
Thoughts of the day
Good morning, and happy Monday.
In his often spiritual writings, Alan Watts commented about the desire of man to be solitary, when in reality we are designed to work and thrive when we reach beyond the boundaries of the self.
“The real reason why human life can be so utterly exasperating and frustrating is not because there are facts called death, pain, fear, or hunger. The madness of the thing is that when such facts are present, we circle, buzz, writhe, and whirl, trying to get the “I” out of the experience. We pretend that we are amoebas, and try to protect ourselves from life by splitting in two. Sanity, wholeness, and integration lie in the realization that we are not divided, that man and his present experience are one, and that no separate “I” or mind can be found.”
When attempting to fight something alone, often on multiple fronts, you may soon realise you are just an atom.
It is why good managers delegate, good students and workers admit the gaps in their skills and knowledge instead of trying to hide them, good friends open up to someone close to them (is it not when someone lets you in when you begin to feel closer to them?)
To be vulnerable is to accept you are not alone, and for a reason.
