I can blame all of my
social thought on one thing. It's this: what goes on around me is not
the way I feel inside. I mean, I live in a small, but congested town.
I work, very part time, in a restaurant. I am forced to mix with
people, and the more this happens, the more I lose all faith in
humanity. Couple all of this with recent political events and the way
events are packaged to us via news outlets and of course I have
certain social thought.
I see the world with a
Kaizen lens. I also see the world like my BMW 2002. Kaizen is the
practice of self improvement via small but significant changes. For
instance if you're fat, take the stairs instead of the elevator. This
is a small change, next you'll stop eating processed food, start
making your own meals with whole ingredients, sell your big suv for a
small car or no car, stop watching tv and start reading. But it all
started with the decision to take the stairs. The BMW 2002? I owned
that car many, many years ago. I am not a good mechanic. Anything
that squeaked, rattled or annoyed me on that car I simply removed.
It's amazing how much you can take off of a car and it will still go
and stop. I treat my life in the same way, on both points.
I feel like self-reliance
often gets confused with self-sufficiency. I guess they're similar.
To me, self-sufficiency comes in levels. You can pay all your bills,
get to work and contribute to society and do it successfully and be
self-sufficient. You can be an off the grid and have no need of
anyone else sort of person and be self-sufficient. But to be
self-reliant is universal.
Self-reliance, to me at
least, is the deeper knowing of oneself. It's knowing that every
decision is the right decision, every day is the right day. It means
not to get emotionally, financially, intellectually mired in the
things that really don't matter. If you ask me, very little matters,
very, very little. To enjoy self-reliance, you must have all the
tools you need and often these tools are always available as long as
you tax them a little. Being secure in your abilities and thoughts
will make the day and the day's tasks easier. Being secure in your
accomplishments and your goals creates the courage to continue in the
day and the day's tasks. Knowing your downfalls, your past mistakes
and any shortcomings as being a part of who you are will make the day
and the day's tasks easier.
As a writer, or any
artist, really, self-reliance must be part of the fabric. If it's
not, why write or make art? What would be the purpose? I have always
placed writers and artists above any other profession because they
are honest. Writers and artists must be self-reliant. For writers and
artist, every decision is the right decision, every day the right
day.
What about the Kaizen?
What about the BMW 2002? My suggestion to anyone questioning their
self-reliance, take it in small steps. Start to think about
decisions, and emotions and thoughts. When these make sense under the
lens of self, you're on your way. When you're secure with yourself
and it's time to create art, when it's time to write, remember how
little everything else matters. Treat the day to day stuff as I might
treat a BMW 2002. If it squeaks, rattles or annoys you, remove it. It
doesn't take much to sustain life: air, water, food, shelter. Taking
life to it's barest essentials is good for everyone. And it will free
up a great deal of time. Time better spent working creative
endeavors. Being self-reliant you will lose all fear. Every decision
is the right decision and every day is the right day.
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