622 Trying to become something else
Once again, Krishnamurti makes a point that got me thinking: We are living in the age of the “Self-Transformation”. It seems at every turn we are advised to become the person we want to be, to strive to be the best person we can be or to make use of our full potential. There are many industries using this paradigm … the weight-loss industry, the personal development and self help industries etc.
At this time of New Year Resolutions it is easy to follow this meme. It makes so much sense … while I may not be perfectly happy with myself, I may just be better off becoming something else. But Krishnamurti reminds us that being aware of what is, of what we are, can be liberating:
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Trying to become something else
“The very awareness of what is is a liberative process. So long as we are unaware of what we are and are trying to become something else, so long will there be distortion and pain. The very awareness of what I am brings about transformation and the freedom of understanding.”
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So this year I will do two things:
1) I will strive to be aware of what is, what I am and what I do
2) In order to avoid distortion and pain, I will accept myself
Of course this does not mean that there is no room for improvement … but I live healthily, I eat well (I am a vegetarian, always have been), I don’t smoke, drink alcohol or take drugs (yo, listen up: Love is the drug) and with the changes in my life I have made recently, I am content and happy.
Importantly, there are two areas where I shall improve: I have slacked off with exercising, I shall go to the gym more regularly.
But here is a curly one: According to the Macquarie Dictionary the Word of 2014 is “mansplain” - where a man patronises a woman by explaining a concept to her as if she were an idiot. Ouch! Guilty as charged … boys, you know what I’m talking about! Beware of what you’re doing. Watch it! HNY.