I ask myself if this is possible, living without expectations, as I hear my guidance towards others echoeing yes, it is. It is. Maybe not in the form we'd expect or imagine, but in real life, it is. I guess I dont always live in reality, rather I stay confined to a well known and well travelled space: the mind. I think we all know this space very well, too well, often allowing it to drive the vehicle of the sacred self to places of scarcity and feared unknowns, far from the hearts space and free spirit. Predictably these places are not places of openness and inquiry, but rather, of judgement and restriction.
Our self expectations become a trap for denied success. When we place these jailed expectations on ourselves we ultimately have the ability to place them on others, creating unintented competition and distance and consequently a lack of solidarity. How would it feel to be in solidarity with the self? What does this mean? Well, Merriam-Webster defines solidarity as: unity that produces or is based on community of interests. Sometimes it is important to locate the roots; the word, solidarity, comes from the french, solidarite, meaning, "mutual responsibility". To me the idea of mutual responsibility involves the self, a direct relationship with the self, with what IS, how we are in this present space, how do we come to know and preceive this self of ours? Often times our perception is based on societal pressures and expectations oppressively mapping the right and desired way to be, the way things have been in the past which have either wounded us or leave us longing for their reoccurence and future hopes that we fear we may never reach.
All of these things may seem real, but they are out of our control, but what is in our control is inquiry; getting to know some of these places of discomfort or risidule pain we have not physically released from our body, examining the reality of the now to allow for what is happening so we can move into places we want or unknown places that are awaiting us. Breathe. By navigating this space, expectations on the table with an eraser at hand, there is more freedom to live as we are, by freeing this space up individually, we create a space in which others may do the same. Bell Hooks, a teacher that I bow to, though have never met, reminds us of the need for
"trasformation of the self, of relationships, so that we might be better able to act in a revolutionary manner, challenging and resisting domination, transforming the world outside the self."
So, this mutual responsibility rests in creating solidarity with the self in order to be in solidarity with others; mutual support. Now the more current definition can take active form, we can create communities of unity when we are open to knowing our own self so that we have space for that of others. This may be challenging, but with challenge comes change, new learning, new support. Sometimes our own self expectations are our greatest limitations, our greatest removal, our greatest distance from facing challenges from a place of directness and honesty rather than the easy and unthoughtful head space of chatter and misguided judgements. Let us learn and live the true meaning of solidarity, potentially opening ourselves and the communal space to the "unknown, the unfamiliar". Patanjali's second yoga sutra, thread, embodies: "yoga is to still the patterning of consciousness.
Our self expectations become a trap for denied success. When we place these jailed expectations on ourselves we ultimately have the ability to place them on others, creating unintented competition and distance and consequently a lack of solidarity. How would it feel to be in solidarity with the self? What does this mean? Well, Merriam-Webster defines solidarity as: unity that produces or is based on community of interests. Sometimes it is important to locate the roots; the word, solidarity, comes from the french, solidarite, meaning, "mutual responsibility". To me the idea of mutual responsibility involves the self, a direct relationship with the self, with what IS, how we are in this present space, how do we come to know and preceive this self of ours? Often times our perception is based on societal pressures and expectations oppressively mapping the right and desired way to be, the way things have been in the past which have either wounded us or leave us longing for their reoccurence and future hopes that we fear we may never reach.
All of these things may seem real, but they are out of our control, but what is in our control is inquiry; getting to know some of these places of discomfort or risidule pain we have not physically released from our body, examining the reality of the now to allow for what is happening so we can move into places we want or unknown places that are awaiting us. Breathe. By navigating this space, expectations on the table with an eraser at hand, there is more freedom to live as we are, by freeing this space up individually, we create a space in which others may do the same. Bell Hooks, a teacher that I bow to, though have never met, reminds us of the need for
"trasformation of the self, of relationships, so that we might be better able to act in a revolutionary manner, challenging and resisting domination, transforming the world outside the self."
So, this mutual responsibility rests in creating solidarity with the self in order to be in solidarity with others; mutual support. Now the more current definition can take active form, we can create communities of unity when we are open to knowing our own self so that we have space for that of others. This may be challenging, but with challenge comes change, new learning, new support. Sometimes our own self expectations are our greatest limitations, our greatest removal, our greatest distance from facing challenges from a place of directness and honesty rather than the easy and unthoughtful head space of chatter and misguided judgements. Let us learn and live the true meaning of solidarity, potentially opening ourselves and the communal space to the "unknown, the unfamiliar". Patanjali's second yoga sutra, thread, embodies: "yoga is to still the patterning of consciousness.
