Sunday, December 6, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Venture into the unknown...
…To boldly go where no one has gone before.
This is where infinite possibilities reside. Why? Because there hasn’t been anyone there yet to change “what’s out there” from a wave of potential to a particle of expression. Whenever anything is observed and defined, it goes from a state of indefiniteness to a state of definiteness.
If there is a place or state of being to “go to, where no one has gone before,” that is the edge of our “known” being, but that which already exists beyond our knowing must ultimately already exists for us to go there to experience. In other words, you couldn’t go where no one has gone before if it didn’t already exist for you to go there and discover what’s there.
Columbus challenged the “known” world of his time by venturing in to the unknown. He sailed his ships into uncharted waters, which already existed so that he could sail upon them. The lands he discovered already existed as well, but were new to him and his contemporaries.
The information of his day informed people that the world was flat, and that if you went far enough out to the horizon, you’d come to the edge of the world, like the edge of a cliff. If you tried to go further, you would fall off. Since this was the information believed by the people of the time, there was great fear associated with venturing too far towards the unknown.
Even if you were strong of heart and very brave, venturing out into the unknown could be very dangerous because you don’t know what’s out there, you can’t really prepare for what you might encounter because you don’t know what’s out there, so how can you possibly prepare?
What most people do, is equip themselves to deal with what they already know, and then go forward into the unknown hoping they are up to the challenges that lay ahead.
The writing of this article is venturing into the unknown for me, because frankly, I don’t know, right now what will unfold for me as I am writing this. To flesh out this point a bit more, I didn’t know, back when I put my fingers to the keyboard and typed, “…To boldly go where no one has gone before.” That I was going to write this past paragraph. I did have an idea that I would write about going beyond the known, and that was about it.
Each moment that unfolds for us is largely unknown as to what will unfold in the next moment. Sure, because we are in a known environment, and have information and knowledge about our environment, we may expect much of what this environment is, to remain substantially the same but within this field of play, so to speak, there are quite a large number of possibilities which could unfold in the next moment, and when something unfolds that we aren’t expecting, we can be surprised, shocked or can experience any number of expressions.
If you are one of those who is an adventurer, who enjoys blazing the trail for the masses who may eventually follow the trail you’ve discovered, you should realize there is the potential for dangers, injuries and even death. Knowing full well the cost of making such a journey, if you still choose to proceed, you are sure to have experiences that none of your contemporaries have ever had. For most people who are explorers, this is the reward for their trials and efforts. They are the very first to be there, to see that, to feel that, to breathe that air, or whatever it might be. They may delight in the freshness and newness knowing that on one they know has ever ventured into this unknown. Do you understand now how Columbus and all those other explorers must have felt as they embarked upon their own journeys of discovery?
All that exploration implies there is something beyond to be explored, to be discovered, to become known.
What if an explorer didn’t define what he/she found? What if he/she returned and told those he/she left behind, go find out for yourselves. How many would venture into that unknown? The likelihood that there would be others to go on that adventure is greater at that time of his/her returning than it was on the day he/she left because of the fact that he/she returned. If an explorer ventures into the unknown and is never heard from again, the implied obstacle of the unknown looms larger in the minds of those who don’t make the journey. They may likely fear that their explorers perished in the unknown, and that may be true. Another possibility could be that once he/she ventured far enough into the unknown, he/she found something that was more compelling to stay with than the desire to return to their old life, their known world experiences.
Now, I’ve expressed only two possibilities. Reality which exists holds a far greater range of possibilities than just those two. And because of this, each person who ventures into the unknown brings to the experience their own possibilities and or potentials.
Venture into tomorrow as though you are an explorer uncovering new experiences, new understandings, new awareness, and with an open and inquisitive mind, be on the lookout for what is awaiting your discovery of it. You may find, that even in this world where you think there isn’t anything to be discovered, there actually is a lot you aren’t yet aware of right here in this very familiar place right now.
So, boldly go where no one has gone before without even leaving the familiar environment you currently find yourself in. Reach into the realms of expanded consciousness, reach beyond the mundane senses, and see what's out there? We can all be explorers and we can all make discoveries of our own by being open to that possibility, and being on the lookout for something(s) you've never known before, or experienced before.
This is where infinite possibilities reside. Why? Because there hasn’t been anyone there yet to change “what’s out there” from a wave of potential to a particle of expression. Whenever anything is observed and defined, it goes from a state of indefiniteness to a state of definiteness.
If there is a place or state of being to “go to, where no one has gone before,” that is the edge of our “known” being, but that which already exists beyond our knowing must ultimately already exists for us to go there to experience. In other words, you couldn’t go where no one has gone before if it didn’t already exist for you to go there and discover what’s there.
Columbus challenged the “known” world of his time by venturing in to the unknown. He sailed his ships into uncharted waters, which already existed so that he could sail upon them. The lands he discovered already existed as well, but were new to him and his contemporaries.
The information of his day informed people that the world was flat, and that if you went far enough out to the horizon, you’d come to the edge of the world, like the edge of a cliff. If you tried to go further, you would fall off. Since this was the information believed by the people of the time, there was great fear associated with venturing too far towards the unknown.
Even if you were strong of heart and very brave, venturing out into the unknown could be very dangerous because you don’t know what’s out there, you can’t really prepare for what you might encounter because you don’t know what’s out there, so how can you possibly prepare?
What most people do, is equip themselves to deal with what they already know, and then go forward into the unknown hoping they are up to the challenges that lay ahead.
The writing of this article is venturing into the unknown for me, because frankly, I don’t know, right now what will unfold for me as I am writing this. To flesh out this point a bit more, I didn’t know, back when I put my fingers to the keyboard and typed, “…To boldly go where no one has gone before.” That I was going to write this past paragraph. I did have an idea that I would write about going beyond the known, and that was about it.
Each moment that unfolds for us is largely unknown as to what will unfold in the next moment. Sure, because we are in a known environment, and have information and knowledge about our environment, we may expect much of what this environment is, to remain substantially the same but within this field of play, so to speak, there are quite a large number of possibilities which could unfold in the next moment, and when something unfolds that we aren’t expecting, we can be surprised, shocked or can experience any number of expressions.
If you are one of those who is an adventurer, who enjoys blazing the trail for the masses who may eventually follow the trail you’ve discovered, you should realize there is the potential for dangers, injuries and even death. Knowing full well the cost of making such a journey, if you still choose to proceed, you are sure to have experiences that none of your contemporaries have ever had. For most people who are explorers, this is the reward for their trials and efforts. They are the very first to be there, to see that, to feel that, to breathe that air, or whatever it might be. They may delight in the freshness and newness knowing that on one they know has ever ventured into this unknown. Do you understand now how Columbus and all those other explorers must have felt as they embarked upon their own journeys of discovery?
All that exploration implies there is something beyond to be explored, to be discovered, to become known.
What if an explorer didn’t define what he/she found? What if he/she returned and told those he/she left behind, go find out for yourselves. How many would venture into that unknown? The likelihood that there would be others to go on that adventure is greater at that time of his/her returning than it was on the day he/she left because of the fact that he/she returned. If an explorer ventures into the unknown and is never heard from again, the implied obstacle of the unknown looms larger in the minds of those who don’t make the journey. They may likely fear that their explorers perished in the unknown, and that may be true. Another possibility could be that once he/she ventured far enough into the unknown, he/she found something that was more compelling to stay with than the desire to return to their old life, their known world experiences.
Now, I’ve expressed only two possibilities. Reality which exists holds a far greater range of possibilities than just those two. And because of this, each person who ventures into the unknown brings to the experience their own possibilities and or potentials.
Venture into tomorrow as though you are an explorer uncovering new experiences, new understandings, new awareness, and with an open and inquisitive mind, be on the lookout for what is awaiting your discovery of it. You may find, that even in this world where you think there isn’t anything to be discovered, there actually is a lot you aren’t yet aware of right here in this very familiar place right now.
So, boldly go where no one has gone before without even leaving the familiar environment you currently find yourself in. Reach into the realms of expanded consciousness, reach beyond the mundane senses, and see what's out there? We can all be explorers and we can all make discoveries of our own by being open to that possibility, and being on the lookout for something(s) you've never known before, or experienced before.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)