work in progress

Accept that you are a work in progress, both a revision and a draft: you are better and more complete than earlier versions of yourself, but you also have work to do. Be open to change. Allow yourself to be revised. ~ Dame Maggie Smith, Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change

moon over NYC

In a world cocooned and immersed in a constant barrage of externalized prompting, do we even realize who we are and what we do? Are we original individuals or mere sheep led out to pasture? 

Social media especially can all too easily lend itself to project an idealized or romanticized life. 

We imagine ourselves cuddled and comforted. Posted images carefully edited and curated. Pretended pretentious put-ons that falsify our reality. 

Even for those who should know better the idyllic image of a smiling face can be intoxicating enough to obscure the reality of a harsh, messy, dark existence. 

Far too many of us are oblivious to the dangers our behavioral patterns pose to our long-term well-being. Instead of facing up to our issues we often convince ourselves they are trivial and can be ignored. Or we deny our feelings and needs - ignoring or glossing them over.

We can only delude ourselves for so long - eventually what was once manageable quicky reach untenable proportions - causing harm, injury, illness.

Carl Jung maintained that a crucial first step toward self-improvement is simply to become more aware of the reality of one’s situation.

Instead of being habitual consumers, what if we are ever-curious instead? Rather than being dedicated shoppers, what if we are market watchers instead? 

Replace trending memes and public opinion with personal preferences borne of private and intuitive introspection may be the better choice and serve us better too.