Pathwalking 153
How do you Pathwalk in the face of cynicism and skepticism?
These two concepts are often confused and mixed, but still amount to much the same thing. In the simplest of terms, a cynic does not believe in selflessness, whereas a skeptic questions the factuality of a given thing.
Given today’s society, it should come as no surprise that these two notions are so prevalent, and that they are easy to confuse. And when it comes to Pathwalking I can see how both could be applied.
I purport to share this concept not for any personal gain, but out of a desire to try to better the world around me. A cynic would no doubt question my actions. If there is nothing to gain, how could I share this idea for free?
I will not deny that in my sharing of this concept, I have hope maybe one day somebody will offer me the opportunity to spread this concept further, and to a much broader audience. From there to possibly earn income either doing public speaking on the idea of Pathwalking, or teaching others how to work on all the things I have shared here over these past couple years, and help them to find their own way.
While I would like to make something more tangible from spreading the idea of Pathwalking, I still believe that helping more people seek out and control their own destiny is better for everyone. It is not about me, I have no selfish intent; I want to help everyone in whatever way I can to see life for all of its amazing potential.
The cynic would find that hard to believe. Ignoring the cynic when it comes to outside influences is fairly easy. But when the cynic is inside your own head, it takes more work. However, if you have selfless intent and you are not working in a selfish manner, then its not a cynic you are engaged with, it’s a skeptic.
Is this really real? Is it possible to take control of your own feelings, to take control of your own destiny? Aren’t we all just the pawns of fate, or a higher power, or what-have-you? Does Pathwalking actually work and make you happier and healthier and more whole? Isn’t this just a rehashing of everything you have studied and explored and learned from others? Do you really believe in this?
Skeptics are all around us. We question our world, we question our existence, we question everything, sometimes to ludicrous levels. It’s all well and good to question things, but doing so against the face of factual proof can be devastating.
Look at the deeply divided nation America has become. There are people who are in positions of authority who play the role of skeptic, but are in fact just spreading lies in order to further their own careers and to enhance their personal gain. These people play the role of friend of the poor, skeptical of “the man”, but are really just building up and playing off of people’s fears to further their own agendas.
Skepticism can be a good thing. Sometimes what someone calls a “fact” is not, and being skeptical of that is wise. However, the problem comes when you are skeptical all the time. Certain facts are incontrovertible. You can be skeptical about these all you want, but the Earth is round, the sky is blue, water is wet, and maybe most important of all we are all one. Despite the differences in our skin color, nationality, gender, religion and so on and so forth we are the same, and we are all connected.
Pathwalking is about making choices for ourselves. It’s about sometimes following the crowd, and sometimes very much marching to the beat of your own drummer. It may look a bit strange to those unfamiliar with the notion, it may come across as another new-agey concept for self-improvement, but it is about empowerment.
The cynic questions if I share the idea of Pathwalking out of selfishness, and awakens the skeptic to question if this has real, factual legitimacy. This is how we confuse these two concepts. But Pathwalking is not selfish, and it has been shared to help you to be empowered to seek out and make your own way in this life.
Any idea will face its cynics and skeptics. It is certainly easier to ignore them when they are outside influences than when they are inside your own head.
I will tell the cynic that I share this idea because I believe that helping find self-empowerment in this world can help to make the world a better place for everyone. I will tell the skeptic that I have yet to see someone who feels they have control of their own life, their own emotions and their own destiny not be happier overall.
Pathwalking is a worthwhile concept. I have been a more whole, more complete and overall happier person since I began to work with this idea directly. Despite its ups and downs, overall it has proven to be an excellent way to live.
How do you shut down your own inner cynic and skeptic?
This is the one-hundred fifty third entry in my series. These weekly posts are specifically about walking along the path of life, and my desire to make a difference in this world along the way. Feel free to re-blog and share. Thank you for joining me.
The first fifty-two weeks (Year One) of installments of Pathwalking is available in print and for your Kindle.
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