|
[Return to Home] [Return to Reflection Room] Staying Centered and Always Knowing Who You Are.
Who are you? While I was growing up there is one thing I never strayed too far from and that was the knowledge that we as humans can never survive without the land, the trees, the air, and the water. If there was one place I could truly call my home it would be lost in the majesty of the Redwood Forests of Northern California. They were here before my ancestors, they will (hopefully) still be here after my decendants are gone. Whether do to circumstance, misfortune, or destiny, every one of us has had to walk the gauntlet of trials in our lives. What each of us sees is unique to ourselves. Edgar Allen Poe once wrote, "I cannot go where others have been, I cannot see what others saw, what I see I see alone." Our perceptions, beliefs, and values are shaped by our surroundings, by those things, living and not living that are familiar to us, by the world we knew as we grew up. Our perception of the world creates our reality. Our surroundings are a part of us and we a part of it. We are no more Masters of Nature than nature is a master of each of us. Both entities exist together as part of the whole. Each influences the whole, and when our lives change, so does our influence upon the universe and the universe onto us. There is in effect a sense of eternal fluidity that washes all things together against the sands of time. We are a part of the celestial sea. When we lose sight of our roots, we can try to hold on to our beliefs and values, but ideologies themselves are not enough. Experience makes sure of that. Like the ghostly Monterey Cypress growing along the coast, transplanting the tree inland virtually guarantees its death because it cannot survive without the fierce wind, cold temperatures and harsh elements whipping from the sea. People are fortunately not so particular about such conditions and have some flexibility, but moving away from the forces that had at one time been such an important part of one's life also changes it. It then becomes important to be able to stay grounded to who you are and were even though the world around you has changed. So how does one stay grounded to the values and beliefs you cherish and adapt to the changing world? Some write. Some sing. Some simply travel or return to places they have been. But either way it is an active process of being. Being true to who you are, what you value, and practicing what you believe. Remember that you have as much influence over the universe as the universe has over you. The fluid turbulence of the universe may bend the branches and boughs of the tree, but it will not break if the roots are strong. And as a part of the universe, you too exert a force back upon the universe shaping it as well. So in every way, living, being, and doing what you hold truest to yourself can help keep you grounded and centered. By being always conscious of who you are, you may find yourself never taking things for granted. -Albert Wang |