chrisk.art.blog

Einstein had a say: Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. It teaches us to maintain progress and focus by holding the momentum, keeping with efforts until the task, the goal, or whatever is envisaged is achieved.
Imagine a log put in your way on a path to hinder you from passing to where you are going. You will either jump over it, get it out of the way, or take a different route that will lead to the same destination. These are physical barriers that, if you do not remove, will hinder you from progressing to your desired destination. We are all confronted in many forms with obstacles in our own pursuit —the struggle to achieve a set goal in life. As used in the scenario above, if the obstacle is physical, we sometimes have a better appreciation of what has to be done to keep going.
Some obstacles come in subtle ways—they have more to do with our mental constructs than they do with the physical. Take for instance, how someone comes up with an idea and goes to ask a friend about its viability or otherwise. If he should be told that it is not feasible, it is most likely that the person will bury the idea because a lot of us are struggling with issues of self-esteem and self-awareness, and no matter how good and workable our ideas are, we seek validation from people around us. If the idea is not validated, we think what they think about the idea is what we should go with, rather than the potency of it and the belief we have in it—simply, the idea gets perished.
We live in times where men have become more skeptical and pessimistic. In our environment today, it is not rare to hear why there are more reasons why things cannot be done than there are for why it is possible to be achieved. Every day, we often hear from people why this or that is not possible be done. We are reminded more of our weaknesses most at times even by our internal voices or by the people around us than we are encouraged. We are surrounded by negative aura, and, more often, we are told it is safer to remain in our shells than to want to go out there and put our thoughts into action in the quest to emancipate ourselves from the shackles of misery and lack. They come in subtle ways—it is not as conspicuous as the log in your path, but it works more powerfully than any physical hindrances.

In such a situation, we do not only have to take inspiration from the philosophical inscription on the Delphi Temple, “Know thy self” which emphasis self-awareness; knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses and how to utilise them to your advantage but also take a cue and even emulate the character and attitude of the running water.
The running water will always push through any obstacles that are put in its way and pass through. Houses that are built on waterways get flooded—it is not a disaster; this is just water trying to pass through its normal passage but has been inhibited. It removes any debris or logs that come its way. It is so because it keeps its momentum and exerts pressure to resist the inhibitors. Running water understands the force it possesses and insist on flowing forward regardless of what is on its way.

We can all choose to be like the running water that pushes its way through obstacles or the mild ones that will not: the ones that get stagnated, get inhabited by insects like mosquitoes, get petrified and become less desirable. And take your life as that stagnant water. The very people who are doing everything to work your mind to get you tethered in one place, will deject and alienate you when you get rotten like motionless water.
Push through every obstacle on your way; be like the running water. Keep moving to keep your balance.