To Think, To See & To Speak

Improvement is a continuous process of two step forwards and one step backwards ~ Epictetus

I hate this is the case. You decide to go off in one direction, to climb a specific mountain lets say, you learn the skills to climb it, its difficult, its tiring, its exhausting, you want to turn back, but you're convinced that the journey after reaching the top will make it worth. To your horor, you get to where you wanted to go only to realise you have hit a dead end! 

You realise with the what you know, the skills you've acquired, you cannot traverse forward, either because you cannot see the path forward or you never acquired the skills to traverse the dead end. Perhaps then what we need to do is go back, retrace our steps, see if we missed something. Did we overlook a skill we though was useless? did we avoid learning something because it was too difficult and instead chose the skill that came easier to us? 

I think that is understandable, I don't think there is any shame in that, we did what we thought was right and it is only until we hit a dead end that we realise it was insufficient. What we have to do now is acknowledge that to keep going forward we first have to go back, identify what we skipped, what we avoided. An important lesson, there are no shortcuts in life. The basics/essentials apply to everything we do. If you skipped one of the basics there is nothing else you can do but to go back and learn it, with patience, trying to skip steps, or rush your learning, down the line you will eventually trip, and maybe you trip and its just a scratch on the leg, or maybe you trip and fall off the mountain... 

Master the basics of existing and everything will flow naturally. Can you stand upright? Can you make your bed? Can you tell right from wrong, good from bad (ideas, people...)? Can you cooperate with other people? Do you know where to set up boundaries and how much you should defend them? Can you think? Can you see? Can you articulate what you understand? 

Learn to think, there are two aspects to this which immediately come to mind. Active and Passive thinking. Active thinking requires intense and focused concentration, this thinking can be practice and trained well through philosophy and mathematics, these subjects can train you to think logically. Can you deconstruct an argument, tell if its bullshit or not? Passive thinking. There will be instances where your body may know more than what your conscious mind is able to grasp, thanks to millions of years of evolutionary history. Meditation, reflection, subconscious writing, these are just some ways to practice passive thinking. 

Can you see? Sounds stupid doesn't it? Of course I can see you fool, what are you talking about!? you may say. I don't doubt you can see, but can you see? I am not referring to what is right in front of your nose. I am asking you, can you see everything that is not right in front of your nose? Can you see the abstract architeqture that governs our entire existence? the abstract paradigms of beliefs, thoughts, assumptions, axioms, values, structures of reasoning which underpin our culture, institutions, beliefs, values and thoughts? For the same phenomena, can you see its beauty? can you see its ugliness? Can you see whats superficial? Can you see whats profound? Can you see what matters? And what doesn't!? Can you see other people? Can you, see yourself!?!? I can tell you that is the hardest to see for we can never see ourselves with perspective, yet it is what we need to be to see most clearly! Oh the struggles of existence. Yes, can you see?? Can you see what I mean now when I ask you: can you see!? Once you can see, then! we are ready to navigate our way through all the amazing and horrible dangers and complexities that exist! 

Finally, can you speak? this need not refer to vocal speech. Once you can think. Once you can see. Can you now articulate that which you think and that which you see. Are you able to share your understanding with others? Can you explain to others why we ought to go here or there? Can you tell them how? And can you tell them why they won't die in the process?? The understanding you acquire will unfortunately never have a wider effect beyond yourself if it cannot leave your Being which occurrs through communication, whether that be visual, audible, written, acted, you are free to choose the mode of articulation which best suits. 

I think we might be ready to go forward again. Onwards and Upwards!!!