Pathwalking 78
Is Pathwalking realistic?
The short answer of course is YES. The long answer is much more complex.
It is fundamental that you have belief in order to make Pathwalking work. If you do not believe in your path, if you do not believe in yourself, if you do not believe that the choices in life are yours to make, then Pathwalking cannot work.
Belief. Faith. Conviction. Hope. Trust. Give it whatever label you wish. Without this emotion, without this feeling, without this knowledge you will be unable to walk any path at all.
In what way does faith or hope or what-have-you make this at all realistic? If Consciousness Creates Reality, as we have discussed before, then when we take our belief and add emotion and energy and action to it, we can make it what we want to make it.
So far, I am not convinced of the realism of this. That’s part of the complexity of this notion. You have to believe in your own empowerment, your own abilities, your own energy. You have to make choices, and you have to KNOW, you have to have faith, that in the choosing you can make the path you want.
We have come to associate the idea of belief with religion and spirituality. We easily see belief in things we cannot see or touch, but we do not believe in ourselves, our abilities, our own power. We are asked to put our faith in untouchable extremes, in teachers, in gurus, in leaders…but we do not believe in our own capabilities and potential.
Society expects conformity. Do your part, do your job, be a contributor. Get married, raise a family, hold down a career and have a car, a mortgage, credit cards…or at least some combination of these things. Society expects you will do what you will do the “right” way.
And this is where the next issue is. The right way for me is not the right way for you, nor the right way for necessarily anyone else. Yet we are expected to follow this idea, this very singular path, in order to be accepted. Anyone who deviates from that is suspect.
And who are these deviants? By-and-large these are your artists, your poets, your teachers, your scientists, your actors. People who often wind up labeled as “geeks” or “dorks” or “nerds” or generally viewed as being “socially awkward”. And while some of us embrace the things that make us unique, others do all that they can to deny this aspect of themselves, in order to be more “acceptable”.
Now you’re generalizing. Of course I am. It is impossible not to. I can oversimplify this even further. There are, in my observations of the world, three kinds of people. There are leaders…there are followers…and then there are those who simply go their own way. Many leaders, many more followers…but the fewest are those who choose to live for their own life, blaze their own trails. Pathwalkers. That is what I strive to be…and I believe that I am a happier person for that choice.
I do not wish to choose for others. I do not intend to lead, save perhaps by example if that strikes anyone to follow. Nor do I wish to have others choose for me as a follower. I am capable of figuring out who I am and what I want from life. I am a Pathwalker. You can change between these three variants, and like all things, choose who and what to be along the way, if you do not like who you are now.
It is important to note that this is NOT, in fact, realistic for everyone. If you are a leader, you may be unsatisfied if you have no one following you. If you are a follower, you may be unsatisfied without guidance and leadership. But if you are the go-it-your-own-way type, Pathwalking is what you are after. And it is utterly realistic.
Still not convinced. How does this pay your bills? How does this play out in the real world, in practice? I am content in that I have made choices for my life that make ME happy. I have tremendous support from the people I have CHOSEN to have in my life, and I BELIEVE that this works. I will not deny I am doubtful sometimes, I will not deny that it can be overwhelming, and it is NOT easy. But it IS a realistic notion, it is allowing me to make choices that are right for me. I am able to support myself just fine.
I am the most content and happiest I have been with my life.
And I believe if more people chose for themselves things that made them happy, they could make this world a better, brighter, more peaceful place.
Are YOU content? Are you happy?
This is the seventy-eighth 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. Thank you for joining me.
The first year of Pathwalking is available in print and for your Kindle.
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