Contemplating life's big questions is not an easy task. It requires me to step back from my daily routine and immerse myself in the vastness of my mind. I seek to understand my purpose, my values, and my place in the world. The image below captures the essence of my journey - inviting me at the edge of what is known... at the edge of change... at the edge of adventure... and at the edge of an important decision : to jump or not to jump?
To jump or not to jump... into the realness of life on earth.
I jumped. I jump and I will continue to jump everyday that I can.
Why? Because, I want to live with purpose - with intent.
And knowledge is an important aspect in achieving that.
Knowledge is not necessarily found in a result - in a final answer.
When it comes to contemplating life's big questions, knowledge is mostly found in the quest itself.
When I jump (metaphorically and literally), I don't do it carelessly.
Intent and serious preparation is required. Therefore, when I do jump, I can enjoy the experience fully because I have acquired knowledge of my equipment, necessary skills, and regulations of the sport with its safety procedures. One cannot be blind to the learnings before being allowed to take in the experience fully.
Life is the same.
Finding out its meaning is the same.
What are our parameters? This is the initial question.
Know what you know and what you do not know.
How do you know that something you know is true - and in fact known?
Your inner self will guide you.
I refer to it as inner calmness. (It's my favorite feeling - yes, I love to love and be full of joy - but inner peace is a whole different level of happiness).
Life’s big questions: I plan to explore them all independently in their respective post (in depth), but I also wanted to go over one of them - in this introductory post - even if only touching it briefly.
Long term happiness :
(as opposed to moments of joy - which will have its own post)
True happiness, Peace and Fulfillment are the state of being aligned with oneself.
I’m not fighting my heart, my mind or my body - I’m in sync.
Even if I know all the exercises for enlightenment, I am not immune to falling back asleep here and there and sometimes, for longer periods of time unfortunately.
Life happens and when there are many obstacles to face; working on your absolute happiness is usually not the priority. Surviving is; not thriving.
However, I find solace in the fact that I am awake right now - ready and excited to pick up the work. Also, I realize I needed to fall asleep (for years) - it was required for my soul at the time. Great insights about my psyche were exposed as a result of falling asleep. With that experience, I am confident and I trust my subconscious wholeheartedly again. That is a tool I didn’t think I needed before getting it; and it is so empowering.
How do I know when I am truly happy, in peace or fulfilled?
I feel joy despite movement around me - despite chaos.
I am aware of issues, concerns and problems around me, but they don’t have access to my deeper self - that place where it hurts when you feel it! All of these feelings coming from difficult scenarios, they float at the entrance of my mind. I can feel them, I know what they are and why they are here; but they don’t have the ability to consume me.
Fulfilment and Peace give me the most powerful tool for happiness - calmness.
I am not referring to external calmness that can be perceived on someone’s face or body (you will still see me smiling wholeheartedly and jumping everywhere).
I mean - internal calmness - there is no fighting my heart.
(Yes, heart comes first - where my soul is. My body and mind are second together).
For myself, I can function if I’m not 100% in sync with my mind or body for a certain period of time, but if I am not in sync with my heart (and I am aware of it!), the shift in life is almost instantaneous. I am not programmed to live without my heart; where my soul resides.
When I feel depressed, I understand it is because I am disconnected with my heart and I didn’t realize it yet. Depression (for me) is the consequence of not fulfilling myself overtime.
Not being courageous enough to choose my heart, mind and body over society.
When I effect change that balances my heart, I regain calmness, peace, happiness and serenity.
Observing myself:
Observing the movements of deep state of being within myself allows me to KNOW what makes me happy because I can FEEL it.
Discovering, observing and Knowing are part of the first step of contemplating one of life's big questions.
The second one - harder and arguably most important - is having the courage and strength to create a life where your outer world reflects your inner world (More on that in another post soon).
Note to self:
Remember, the journey of contemplating life's big questions is a personal one. It is not about finding definitive answers but rather about embracing the process of self-discovery and growth. I respect the uncertainty and embrace the beauty of the journey itself. I am not afraid of jumping.
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