Falling Apart

MAP

Do things need to fall apart before they get better?

Sometimes.  Not always.  The choice is up to you.

Right now for where you are the falling apart releases energy you would not otherwise have access to.

Some day you will be able to harness this energy without the chaos to break apart the bonds so you can do the rearranging on purpose.

Things falling apart isn’t always a bad thing nor is you falling apart.  There is freedom in this mess.  The freedom you seek. 

(There is freedom everywhere if you would stop seeking so you could see it.)

Falling apart means there is a loss of control, a loss you typically don’t like to experience.  But your sense of control is false too and we have talked much about that.

When you throw yourself into the loss you will find you have much more capability to navigate than you think.

I take it control and navigation are two different things.

Very much so.  And good pick up.  Why don’t you tell me what you see as the difference.

Navigation is going with the flow and dealing with what comes up.  You’re not fighting against anything and very little exertion is needed.

You see a rock come up ahead so you steer around it but you’re still being carried by the energy of the stream.

If you want to get out or stop you pick a point on the shore downstream and angle towards it,  letting the water carry you.

Or you can pull in your paddles and lay in the bottom of the boat and go wherever.

The last part isn’t so much navigation because you’re not participating.  I suppose you can say you’re not creating or co-creating.

You’re going to make me lose my day job.

Hey, when it flows, it flows.

How about control?  Now you’re back in the boat.

Well, control would be not paying attention to anything but what you decided you wanted or where you want to go.

You block out all the signals around you, even go against the flow.

If you want to go upstream then you’re fighting against the current.  You have to use your own energy in greater amounts than the natural energy of the stream so you can make progress against it.

I feel tired just writing about it.

That’s a lot of energy to exert – both physically and mentally.  You have to become so focused on what you are aiming for you miss the forest and the trees and everything else.

It seems to me you have even less energy to deal with things that pop up – less energy and less clarity.

Now I’m going to lose my night job.  I know you want to continue so carry on.

Thanks.  I can see how after all that effort to struggle against the natural flow that it’s a losing battle – you will tire out eventually because your personal energy will be gone.

Pulling in your paddles doesn’t look attractive because you’ve fought the good fight and it would all go for naught.

Maybe you have to exhaust yourself so you can allow yourself to give up without admitting defeat.

Anything but downstream is going to expend more energy needlessly so I guess it doesn’t do any good to tell ourselves half truths or lies or just pretend.

That will only delay our exhaustion point.

And …

I suppose the other point is, to give up control doesn’t mean you can’t still navigate.  It’s not an all or nothing deal – control or at-the-mercy-of.

You can start navigating at any time, with the added benefit of renewed energy and renewed clarity.

And what did your wise friend once say?

There is a third option.  You can paddle upstream, float along downstream, or move along the shore.

Meaning?

You can step out of the game at any time and have access to other means of mobility, have access to other realities.

The stream is not an either-or situation either.   There is more than just upstream and downstream.

And I will add there must be more than upstream, downstream and the shore.  It keeps expanding once you allow yourself to expand your context – which for some people would mean expand your reality.

Well that just about wraps everything for today.  Anything else you would like to say or add?

No, other than I’ve enjoyed the dance we danced together as always.  You are just as much a part of the answers as I.  We both know that.

And some day you will acknowledge more fully that in those other dances you are as much a part of the answers as I.

I have told you this too many times before – we are creating this all together you and I.

And remember to unlimit your definition of you to see who all really is involved.