Decoding and Using Mystical Advice
So apparently a lot of what I have to say sounds too mystical to people. So here’s a how I see mystical being defined in their terms - something that’s incomprehensible due to its spiritual nature. So in easy words, its something that’s rather quite hard to comprehend at the moment because you may be spiritual but I’m not. Now I see how my view can be hindered as well but I am exhausted of putting forth ideas that are so simple yet brilliant that people see no connection. I think a trendy rendition or example of this is - I have clear skin because I drink a lot of water. So an answer as such to someone who is desperate to get clear skin is almost a mockery but I’ll get into this example later.
I think the problem is when people try to dissect some piece of advice or philosophical inputs that could essentially help them do better in life, they’re often not able to use it or make sense of it. The first thing that I find is crucial is decoding words itself. This is a good lesson, trying to learn philosophy, has taught me is that words have deeper meaning and valuations to them. Even though in this era, people think typing a few important words or a sentence together, that sound rather intelligent will, in turn, make them intelligent or rather the complete opposite - tying a few words that make no sense together to make it sound chick is brilliance. So what happens in turn when we start using words baselessly, the words appear baseless as well and so is your understanding of them.
So - I have clear skin (you understand this) because I drink a lot of water. So I guess now it depends on how you perceive what ‘Drinking a lot of water’ means? You’d probably think 8 glasses of water seems like a good amount (because that’s what you’re hearing) but if you decode it - let us say you wake up at 10 every day and go to sleep at 10 as well, so you’re awake for 12 hours. Now 8 glasses in 12 hours, doesn’t even make it (this is how I would see it, keep in mind this is not a scientific conclusion) to being average. So what is a lot? In this situation? I would see this a lot, as someone who always has a water bottle in his hand or as someone who is constantly trying to put water in their body through diet as well. So when a person says a lot of water - understand what a lot of water means!
Moving on, so once you realise you’re decoding properly (for which I think speaking correctly and understanding how the words you think or say shape your life is step one), you’re still stuck in the - New person, same old mistake’s patter. Now here, my good friend, I’d advise you on a human being’s most distinguished habit - Consistency. Let me try to put into a better sense Rumi talks about (even though this isn’t exactly co-related) daily practises. He talks about this story of a man in prison who gets a prayer mat as a parcel from his friend. The man, of course, wanted a key or a crowbar that could help him escape. But anyway, this guy starts praying every day, 5 times (I think he did not have much better things to do) on the mat and he releases that the mat actually has the pattern of the key which could potentially help him escape. (I hope you see the moral). So the idea is, that when you do something consistently it will show results, it will open doors but consistency is key. (so is the intention)
But why is Consistency so hard in life? I think it is because every day we are wound up with getting results rather than doing the work, don’t get me wrong - I am not calling anyone lazy. What I am trying to get at is because you’re so concerned with procuring results you usually forgetting the underlining point which can be decoded in so many ways. But I think it stands on the structure that we do live only one day - today. So essentially, if I were to drink a lot of water today - just today, it’s not going to get me clear skin today. But what if I try to enjoy drinking water and forget about the goal itself because anyways that’s the future. And I do this today and tomorrow and the day after that and it starts working because I am not so much interested in the destination rather the journey. And another point is to not get discouraged or start blaming yourself or saying negative things the one day you’re not able to do this because you’re human and it’s fine. Because you’ll put it off the next day if you poison your journey, just because yesterday you forgot to drink a lot of water doesn’t mean you can’t try today or your progress is hindered.
Theoretical vs pragmatic is often also the problem of trying to use a piece of advice. It is nice in theory but probably wouldn’t happen, so it won’t because of your attitude and it also means that you haven’t understood the advice at all. Any advice that you personally don’t see a real value in or doesn’t have a substantial amount of research done on by you - personally, is a piece of advice you will not take or even if you do, it’s not going to work for long. I could go into details of this but I won’t, the point it Consistency can only be bought about from understanding the value of the advice. So either you end up with a dermatologist who basically tells you to drink water as well or you go online research about it, get to know that truly, drinking water would help with clear skin.
Though the nature of every advice is different but what you’re falling to do is using all the tools you already have. So until you keep failing in understanding how to use something, it’s pointless - it’s like a quote on social media that makes no difference in your life. Also sadly sometimes you cant learn thing through advice, it needs to come with experience. Somethings you have to go through and understand. But only truly brilliant people learn from their mistakes, not all do. The larger section of the society is repeating the same mistakes throughout their life because you don’t understand the nature of things and that’s going to take a lot to learn. And we’ll at some point need to learn it all. In the words of Kevin Parker:
I think the problem is when people try to dissect some piece of advice or philosophical inputs that could essentially help them do better in life, they’re often not able to use it or make sense of it. The first thing that I find is crucial is decoding words itself. This is a good lesson, trying to learn philosophy, has taught me is that words have deeper meaning and valuations to them. Even though in this era, people think typing a few important words or a sentence together, that sound rather intelligent will, in turn, make them intelligent or rather the complete opposite - tying a few words that make no sense together to make it sound chick is brilliance. So what happens in turn when we start using words baselessly, the words appear baseless as well and so is your understanding of them.
So - I have clear skin (you understand this) because I drink a lot of water. So I guess now it depends on how you perceive what ‘Drinking a lot of water’ means? You’d probably think 8 glasses of water seems like a good amount (because that’s what you’re hearing) but if you decode it - let us say you wake up at 10 every day and go to sleep at 10 as well, so you’re awake for 12 hours. Now 8 glasses in 12 hours, doesn’t even make it (this is how I would see it, keep in mind this is not a scientific conclusion) to being average. So what is a lot? In this situation? I would see this a lot, as someone who always has a water bottle in his hand or as someone who is constantly trying to put water in their body through diet as well. So when a person says a lot of water - understand what a lot of water means!
Moving on, so once you realise you’re decoding properly (for which I think speaking correctly and understanding how the words you think or say shape your life is step one), you’re still stuck in the - New person, same old mistake’s patter. Now here, my good friend, I’d advise you on a human being’s most distinguished habit - Consistency. Let me try to put into a better sense Rumi talks about (even though this isn’t exactly co-related) daily practises. He talks about this story of a man in prison who gets a prayer mat as a parcel from his friend. The man, of course, wanted a key or a crowbar that could help him escape. But anyway, this guy starts praying every day, 5 times (I think he did not have much better things to do) on the mat and he releases that the mat actually has the pattern of the key which could potentially help him escape. (I hope you see the moral). So the idea is, that when you do something consistently it will show results, it will open doors but consistency is key. (so is the intention)
But why is Consistency so hard in life? I think it is because every day we are wound up with getting results rather than doing the work, don’t get me wrong - I am not calling anyone lazy. What I am trying to get at is because you’re so concerned with procuring results you usually forgetting the underlining point which can be decoded in so many ways. But I think it stands on the structure that we do live only one day - today. So essentially, if I were to drink a lot of water today - just today, it’s not going to get me clear skin today. But what if I try to enjoy drinking water and forget about the goal itself because anyways that’s the future. And I do this today and tomorrow and the day after that and it starts working because I am not so much interested in the destination rather the journey. And another point is to not get discouraged or start blaming yourself or saying negative things the one day you’re not able to do this because you’re human and it’s fine. Because you’ll put it off the next day if you poison your journey, just because yesterday you forgot to drink a lot of water doesn’t mean you can’t try today or your progress is hindered.
Theoretical vs pragmatic is often also the problem of trying to use a piece of advice. It is nice in theory but probably wouldn’t happen, so it won’t because of your attitude and it also means that you haven’t understood the advice at all. Any advice that you personally don’t see a real value in or doesn’t have a substantial amount of research done on by you - personally, is a piece of advice you will not take or even if you do, it’s not going to work for long. I could go into details of this but I won’t, the point it Consistency can only be bought about from understanding the value of the advice. So either you end up with a dermatologist who basically tells you to drink water as well or you go online research about it, get to know that truly, drinking water would help with clear skin.
Though the nature of every advice is different but what you’re falling to do is using all the tools you already have. So until you keep failing in understanding how to use something, it’s pointless - it’s like a quote on social media that makes no difference in your life. Also sadly sometimes you cant learn thing through advice, it needs to come with experience. Somethings you have to go through and understand. But only truly brilliant people learn from their mistakes, not all do. The larger section of the society is repeating the same mistakes throughout their life because you don’t understand the nature of things and that’s going to take a lot to learn. And we’ll at some point need to learn it all. In the words of Kevin Parker:
‘Man, I know that it's hard to digest
But maybe your story ain't so different from the rest’
But maybe your story ain't so different from the rest’
Comments
Post a Comment