Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Where Our Poetry Lives

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."-
George Bernard Shaw

How true is this?  It is so easy to get down on oneself in the face of mistakes but mistakes are an invaluable tool in the process of learning.  There was a time where I was afraid to do anything for fear of screwing up.  It had been so ingrained in my mind by my experiences growing up that I was unable to see that I was letting all that bullshit become my identity.  I identified with the paralysis that fear would instill in me, and it was always easier to do nothing than deal with the idea that I was a failure.  Obviously today I know this isn't true. 

It has taken me quite a long time to get to the place where I can separate myself from those ideas.  We become what we're surrounded with whether it's of our own making or not.  But there is another side to the human being, some call it a soul.  I believe it's where our true being lies.  It's what makes us different, and gives us our own ideas and thoughts.  It's where our "poetry" comes from, as I say.  I had to identify with that version of me, and get to know what it was all about.  There is no failure there or judgment, its the purest form of me.  And this isn't some new age mumbo jumbo, it's what I know to be true.  Perhaps this is why I try to give all people a chance, because I can see in them what they don't see in themselves.  I try to coax it out of anyone I'm around so we can all share the grand view.  And a grand view it is.

I realize I went off on a bit of a tangent there.  But all things are related when it comes down to it.  I don't just feel it today, I know it.  Mistakes made are lessons learned.

6 comments:

  1. "We become what we're surrounded with whether it's of our own making or not. But there is another side to the human being, some call it a soul. I believe it's where our true being lies. It's what makes us different, and gives us our own ideas and thoughts. It's where our "poetry" comes from, as I say." my gosh is this true, Ryan. Your words never cease to, quite literally, amaze me!

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    1. I really appreciate that.

      I dig that hat in your new pic, by the way.

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  2. Our poetry does indeed come from our soul doesn't it? From the deepest part of ourselves. Our internal truths lie in the poems we write...

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    1. It does, and I wish more people would realize theirs.

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  3. I can relate to much of what you've shared. Valuable nuggets of truth here.

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