Apart-ment

Why at work are we not allowed to have any indication of a personal life? Why, when we are in school, can we not have anything outside of that? How are we supposed to keep these relevant, interconnected-by our very selves!-parts apart? How is it that we are all supposed to disregard those parts of our lives that are not present, can anyone really tune out being worried about a spouse or child that is ill? We are limited, but intelligent, beings and outside of facing an immediate threat of death, we have plenty of mental space to devote however we wish. In many cases we are told that there is meant to be no overlap between our "personal lives" and our "professional lives" and if any occurs, there is a stigma-we are weak, immature, "emotional", out-of-control, etc., all of those (ooh, bad!) things. Many of you will no doubt be wondering "what is this blog about?" as if it has to have a singular purpose. Possibly thinking that it is to promote inner peace in whales or that it is a social commentary on chess...no, it isn't like that and isn't 'for' that-that is missing the point. It doesn't matter what I'm here to say anyway, because you might not understand it, what matters is what you are going to get out of reading it (which is another subject entirely). This isn't 'about' any one thing, unless it is everything. Listen, I am not a social status, a job, another child or parent, a friend, an enemy, a player of games or music. Those are all limiting, these labels that some seem to need, they do not convey who I am. These are just things that are not me-they are a part of me, I am not part of them. I observe that rock, it does not observe me. I am the infinite, the whole, that which defines all else around me, just as you are what defines that which is around you. There is a reason we are subjective, and it isn't just because we are selfish, self-centered beings; we can only have our own point-of-view, unfortunately, of course, but it is a physical limitation that explains why. Objects do not define me, they cannot, they do not have the ability to, I am the conscious one, the one that decides, that does, that makes, that understands. This ability demands of us to make these connections, to observe, to do; that is the key, the thing that sets us apart, that makes us the connective tissue of our world. There is no one to do that for us, no one else will meet our friends for us, or do our work, or make love, or experience our lives for us. We are the only ones to do this for ourselves, so we need to actually perform this function, be human and live our lives as complete people, not fractured robots. A computer compartmentalizes its functions, its mind if you will, but that doesn't happen with us-it shouldn't, or there is a serious mental problem (called multiple-personality disorder). Of course, this is an extreme example, but even "just a little bit crazy" is still more than is necessary. We are meant to be whole and together, and anyone demanding otherwise is pissing into the wind and expecting wine.

Keeping Up Is Hard To Do

Hopefully this is just the start, but one has to create new habits and that can be just as difficult as "breaking" old ones. It is interesting how easy it is to fall into some things, and yet actually doing those enjoyable, rewarding activities is such a challenge and have to be squeezed into ones' schedule. I have noticed that actually doing those things that one desires, the effect is immediate and pleasant. It is so easy to do once one starts, so why is it so difficult to begin? Such an interesting quandary: that we know we will enjoy it, because we have in the past, yet we are still slow to start. To overcome this takes the forming of the 'habit' to perform...hence the books about "the secrets to success" which will all offer the same tips in some form or another: just do it, the thing you enjoy. There is no other way, you just have to get over your inertia and develop your drive to continue.