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And then there is this, or, reasons to pause - but not for too long

Tags: ring pause forget
People laugh, with a little bit of shock and pleasure, at the fact that my wardrobe has recently undergone a striking upgrade. The simple, simple has gone and the very much sleeker has arrived. Let me correct that, the blatantly simple has gone and a simple set of sleeker clothes has arrived. It is what one must do when one's station in life is getting ready to change. I use that term (station) not to imply wealth, but one of power. Within this culture, certain professions come with a certain expectation on appearances. What is deceptive, if one only looks at appearances, is the nature of the change. It is practical in its adoption of foppishness. Functional in its preference for what shimmers. What most notice, also, is the addition of jewelry to my repertoire. The simple wedding band remains, but now there is either a noticeable gold Ring or black and white ring on my right hand. Colour coordinated to the outfit. Tres chi chi. Interesting that no one who has noticed these changes has bothered to pay enough attention to the details of my transformation. The fact, for instance, that the patterns on my new dressy rings are not patterns, but words. Pinyin. Each ring is covered in the full text of the Great Compassion Mantra. They are heavy rings. I cannot but help feel their weight every moment of the day when I am shimmering around. It serves to remind me not to be deceived by appearances myself.

That is the issue with change. When we must change to rise to meet a new expectation - whether that means taking on a new role, a new reach of power, or a new range of influence - it is just as easy to deceive others as it is to deceive ourselves. I don't mean deceive in a negative way, it is just a deception that one takes on a new polished look to meet a role when one knows that look is not truly necessary if the skill exists. It is required in the day and age when beginning. But, you say, I will never forget why I choose to be on this road, to climb on this stage. Ah, says the wise man, you will as sure as you will forget the names of the people who helped you get there. We forget because we are human. To choose to remind yourself always, to check yourself, to constantly evaluate yourself is when we begin to cease to be a human animal and begin to become a humane being. After all, if we can strive and work and struggle to retain our purpose and clarity amid stage dressings, accolades, and other distractions - then we will also retain the clarity of our sight as to why we are trying so hard to get where we are going.

One must always pause, and frequently, to assess how far one has drifted from direction and purpose. I strongly recommend that one does not wait until you have the time and space to "have a retreat." Retreats are generally for monks who have taken on a much different role in life. If you live in the world one must learn to pause, review, realign and recommit in the outer world. Just don't take too much time to do it. You don't have it. Just do it often.




This post first appeared on 10 Worlds - Creating 100 Years Of Change In Self And Society, please read the originial post: here

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And then there is this, or, reasons to pause - but not for too long

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