Tag: life

thoughts

~ In Search ~

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 ~ In Search ~

“It doesn’t matter if you die in a ditch or a mansion; both have the same end result. The only that matters – the only thing that ever matters – is what you do with the time you have here. We all grow out of the universe but many a life is denied its full blossoming due to the fear of failure or being different. Too many of us abandon our passions due to the influence of others. Gripped by an urge to fit in amongst the tribe, we instead choose to dwell in the darkness of living a life untrue to ourselves. We settle for the mundane and our homes and buildings become populated with the ghosts of the lives that were not fully lived.

For me it was that haunted darkness which drove me out into the world. Whenever I was on the road, I often witnessed the blossoming of a wilted flower. I looked into people’s eyes and could see people finally shining in the light of an overdue dawn, living life with the kind of inner joy they knew they deserved. The air was filled with electricity and there was a sense that anything was possible. It was in moments like that when you realised the true power of picking up that backpack. It was in those moments when you realised the value of wandering over the horizon. It was in those moments when you stepped back and realised that the real journey – the real adventure – had only just begun.”

thoughts

~ The Road Less Travelled ~

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~ The Road Less Travelled ~

“Always say no to the things that insult your soul. If the safe highway requires you to feel pain, then walk alone through a forest of bliss. There is a priceless pleasure in living a life true to yourself. It is not something that can be purchased in a store, or downloaded onto a computer, or stored in a house. It is the magic of the wild – the magic of trusting yourself to the water and learning how to swim. Yes, the path can get scary, and you often walk alone, but better to breathe in the air of solitude than to slowly suffocate to death in a crowd.”

pricless pleasure

articles

~ Expanding Horizons ~

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~ Expanding Horizons ~

“Your life is a miracle. An unprecedented phenomenon that can never, or will never, be matched on any imaginable level. The very fact that you are currently conscious reading and understanding these letters, words and sentences is a moment in which its recipe consists of infinite combinations of abstract events happening in the right space at the right time. The optimum position of our planet in the universe; the perfect conditions on earth for life to flourish and evolve; the very fact that your parents went out to the same place on the same day and met each other. Just think: above anyone else that day, in any place, at any moment, they met each other – and you and your ridiculously complex DNA were the result. Just like they were when their parents before them met each other. And their parents. And their parents. The very fact that all these endless combinations of events led to your being on this earth means that your very existence is miraculous – a stoic defiance of the odds and the culmination of a billion unlikely things all gelling together in perfect discourse. YOU are a miracle. So revel in it. Celebrate it. Your life should be a symphony.

But it throws me – life, sometimes. It saddens me even. Amongst this grand symphony of existence on the magnificent stage of planet earth, I look around and I see so many of us consumed by monotony, recklessly killing the precious time that has been gifted to us. I see so many of us plodding along aimlessly, burying our desires, toiling endlessly in a job that we have no interest in – contentedly dwelling in dead-end towns where nothing ever happens until our minds and bodies become old and weathered. With our precious time on this earth dissipating as we sit comfortably on a sedentary cushion, we so easily fall into the trap of drawing the curtains on our world and perpetually living a systematic and samey routine in which we let days become weeks, let weeks become months, and let months inevitably become years. So many amazing opportunities and experiences drifting on by in the great ocean of time out in this vast world – yet we don’t reach out to explore and experience. And why? Why in a universe of violent bursts and endless movement do so many of us let our lives and horizons become so static and still? Why in a world where we could explore and experience a million different things do we persist in doing the same ones week in, week out?

I don’t hasten to say it, but I believe it to be so –  just because it’s easy.  It’s easy for us to get accustomed and stay in one place; it’s convenient for us to only ever interact to the same people; it’s comfortable for us to perpetually relive the same week and repeat the same habits for a lifetime. Due to the impulses of comfort, routine and security, a world can become a bubble – and eventually that bubble can become a world. A world where precious time flies by as we tumble endlessly through the vices of systematic living; a world where comfort and frivolous possessions rank higher than personal growth and experiences; a world where magazines and newspapers open and our minds close.

I know this because I’ve seen it, and I see it more vividly now than ever. After seventeen months of travelling around the world, seeing other-worldly sights, meeting hundreds of new people, sharing ideas, thoughts, language and adventures, I return home from this small lifetime to find that very little has changed. People have new shoes, but the same routine; people have new televisions, but the same knowledge; people have new cars, but the same scripted conversations. And with the pain and bitterness that comes with being back to square one, I have to look in the mirror and ask myself: is this lifestyle really our final destination? Is this static, comfortable bubble really where you and I want to dwell till the end of our days?

Even after only just a few of years of living a culture of experience rather than one of security and possession, I personally already know my answer to this is forever a resounding no. Life is not some story we tell ourselves; it is neither a tale of the past or a preconception of the future – it is the very thing that is happening to us right here – right now. Even as you’re reading this sentence. Now is forever; and if we are to sink into a bubble, stay still and never plot to move forward in any way – nor experience other things, peoples, places and ideas – then we are being short-sighted and condemning ourselves to not taking full advantage of the miracle of life and consciousness that we have all been gifted. And we’re bigger than that; in a time and age where we are more connected and capable than ever before – you and I are bigger than that bubble. Bigger than our sofa realities; bigger than those tabloid newspapers; bigger than closing our curtains and selves off from the outside world.

Our time is now and our time is precious. It truly is – like a drop in an ocean or a grain of sand in the desert, our brief time period of existence is ultimately nothing against the vast canvass of time in the universe. And this universe will not wait. Life is not a rehearsal; it is not some show on television – it will come to an end and there will be no replay button. Time shall pass; youth shall escape us; our bodies shall age; our lives will come to an end – and we will all die – that is undeniable and for sure. But when the time comes, our sun sets and our miraculous time on this earth comes to an end, the only thing of any importance to me and you will be just how much we ever really lived in the first place.”

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(taken from my book ‘The Thoughts From The Wild’ available here)

thoughts

~ The Wanderers ~

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~ The Wanderers ~

“Everything in this culture is designed around ushering us all toward the life of schedule and routine. First comes school, then comes career, then marriage, then kids, home-ownership, and – eventually – retirement. Make no mistake about it, the system is set up meticulously to usher everyone into this one formulaic mould. But what if your fingers fidget for something else? What if your heart longs for freedom? What if – for some reason you struggle to articulate to friends and family – you find that every ounce of your body rejects this conventional way of life? If this is the case and you find yourself out of odds with absolutely everything, then don’t worry – you are not alone and you are not crazy. Maybe the coworkers and relatives will never understand, but we sure as hell do. So keep a look out for us, and we’ll look out for you too.

Wherever you go, whatever you do: look out for the ones looking wistfully into the skies, for the ones embracing the touch of the rain, for the ones delighting in the sound of silence and dancing out of place. We are out there and we are the wanderers; we are the misfits and outcasts – the adventurers and dreamers. You will not find us in immaculately groomed houses, or in trendy shopping malls, or expensive bars and restaurants. In fact, you will not find us in one place for too long at all actually. No, we are the ones you find beyond the borders, the ones you find away from the crowds – the ones you find on the sunset beaches and mountain paths and peaceful forests. Our nature is awkward and unpredictable; our spirit is rough and uncombed. We are slightly deranged and a mystery to ourselves, but we are sure of some things. We are sure that we do not seek status and security, but freedom and adventure. We are sure that we don’t live life to others’ expectations, but to the flow of our hearts and passions. We are sure that we do not wish to possess, but to cultivate and appreciate. Such a state of being means we usually walk alone, but if you keep an eye out you will be sure to see us occasionally. From the mountain peaks, to the concrete jungles: we are out there roaming; we are out there exploring. And we’re destined never to belong to one place. Because we are haunted by the horizons; we are bewitched by the stars. We are rugged and restless – wild and reckless – lost and found.

We are the wanderers.”

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thoughts

~ A Fire Inside ~

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~ A Fire Inside ~

“There is only so much pain a man can endure before he is either destroyed totally or rises up against his demons without fear. As those monsters did their work on me, I stopped searching the skies for help and turned my gaze inward. It was only then that I found the temple of peace and warmth I had yearned for. The candles of contentment have been lit and their flames flicker to illuminate the darkness that once consumed me totally. I used the flames of hell to my own gain and started a fire that keep the demons cowering in their darkness. An eternal life blazes within me as I stand here burning up on this rock, incarnate in a human body, proud to exist and breathe the air, proud to look outward at the storm of existence knowing that there is an inner flame of joy that will never be extinguished.”

mountain man sunset

thoughts

~ A Kingdom Untouched ~

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~ A Kingdom Untouched ~

“There is a flag which flies in my heart. It flutters in winds of hate and dances in storms of pain. It stays raised proudly at full mast in the darkest of all nights. There is a flag which flies in my heart. It will never be replaced by another. No tyrant will ever take it down; nor storm wear it away. Forever it will flutter free in that breeze, overlooking the lands of the wild. There is a flag which flies in my heart. It is the flag of joy, the flag of courage, the flag of adventure – the flag of a kingdom which will never be conquered in this life, or the next.”

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thoughts

~ An Inner Strength ~

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~ An Inner Strength ~

“I am not the most stable person. I have few practical or pragmatic skills. I often lose or break anything that I have to take care of. I am also not good with organisation or common sense. In this mechanical world, I struggle greatly to fit into anything. Life can be hard, but I have some things that help me survive. I don’t know how to ‘play the game’, but I do know how to pour every last drop of my soul into what I care about. I don’t know how to fit in well with the crowd, but I know how to stand up for myself and stay strong in my own company. My mind is stained with madness and I don’t expect to be understood in this life or the next, but I have learnt how to be fine with that too. As long as this madness still shines, then I know that I’ll survive. As long as this fire inside still burns my gut, then I know I’ll walk through life with a private joy which will never be extinguished.”

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thoughts

~ The Fight ~

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~ The Fight ~

“If anything is worth fighting for, then it is the contents of your heart. In this world there are so many people out there who want to steal the treasure from within your chest. They want to see you deprived of your magic. They want you to be another empty soul beaten down into silent submission, totally afraid to show their true self to the world. But such an existence is a prison and you did not come here to suffer such a terrible fate. So whenever those poachers encircle you, rise up and fight them off at all costs. Grit your teeth. Let slip the roar of freedom. Be bold. Be fierce. Be fearless. Fight to the death to protect that magic inside of you. If you can migrate across the plains of life with that still intact, then you will know that you made it. If you can die with a heart still full of gold, then you will know that you lived a life of unbreakable beauty and courage.”

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thoughts

~ Keeping The Magic ~

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~ Keeping the Magic ~

“Play on little one. When the nature of your heart is joy and you yearn to experience the magic of this universe, play on. Don’t let anyone convince you that life is ordinary – that life is some sort of serious task. There is nothing ordinary about this at all, and the moment they convince you that life is a serious path of toil and drudgery, is the moment when the surrounding world loses its magic. Suddenly the trees and their branches are no longer paintings and those eyes no longer shining diamonds. Don’t let that happen. Play on and wander down the rabbit hole of your imagination and curiosity. Play on and explore your dreams, your natural instinct – your insatiable appetite to have fun with the world around you. The ones who tell you that adventure and imagination aren’t important are just the children who forgot how to play. Don’t let that happen to you. Don’t become that bitter and resentful old person who doesn’t kick the football back over the fence. Don’t be the person who thinks money is more beautiful than a sunset. Shake off the shackles of seriousness; delight in the daisies of life. See the world through a child’s eyes.

Stay young now and forever.”

keeping the magic

short stories

~ The Hidden Treasure ~

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~ The Hidden Treasure ~

“The day had come and gone, and there we sat at the end of the jetty, facing out into the sunset lake. We had only met just a few hours ago and now she was telling me things she had probably never told anyone. She told me deepest secrets, her fears, her hopes, her pains, her joys, her struggles. All of this to me: a random stranger from the bar. Back home people had their defences up; we were all standing upon society’s stage and playing whatever role it was we were supposed to play to be accepted. But there was a certain magic when you crossed paths with a stranger out on the road. Having just met and safe in the knowledge that you were probably never going to see each other again, there was no pretence or image to keep up. The masks were off and everything could be laid bare.

As the sun set below the horizon and the secrets spilled out upon the water, it made me think about how different the world would be if we all just shared what was really going on beneath the surface. So many people have undoubtedly carried the contents of their souls into the abyss without letting them ever see the light of life. One could despair for all the things that were never done and said because we were too afraid to deviate from the social script and say what we really felt. All the adventures that were never pursued, all the works of art that were never realised, all the friendships and loves that never blossomed – all because of the fear of exposing our true selves to the world. Even for the people closest to you, it would often take years and decades to unlock the vault of the soul; but get a random stranger alone for a few isolated moments in a foreign country and suddenly the secret combination is found.

As we both carried on talking about life into the night, I realised that there was something incredibly valuable about these brief and bittersweet encounters on the road. Most of us have treasure inside our chests that we want to show the world, it’s only when we feel free that the locks slip loose and the gold inside shimmers bright and brilliant under the stars.”

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(taken from my book ‘The Thoughts From The Wild’ available here)