A naturist in society
Jumat, 29 Januari 2010
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Sometimes it as hard being a naturist in society, it would be easier to simply conform, dress at all times, shut up and merge into the background. But if you wish to be yourself, live a life you feel is honest and harmless to others but different from everyday life, it takes a bit of nerve.
In The Spiral Staircase, Karen Armstrong wrote:-
"The great myths show that when we follow somebody else's path, you go astray. The hero has to set off by himself, leaving the old world and the old ways behind. He must venture into the darkness of the unknown, where there is no map and no clear route. He must fight his own monsters, not somebody else's, explore his own labyrinth, and endure his own ordeal before he can find what is missing in his life. Thus transfigured, he or she can bring something of value to the world that has been left behind. But if the knight finds himself riding along an already established track, he is simply following in somebody else's footsteps, and will not have an adventure."
In this text, Karen Armstrong is talking about God or at least religious beliefs, but her ideas apply equally well to life in general.
In The Spiral Staircase, she describes in detail the pain and transformation she experienced moving from the religious life to one where her intellect was trusted to provide a better picture of life, the universe and everything. In her convent years, she was expected to conform to very strict rules and codes of conduct, if she did not, the consequences were unpleasant. The hoped for result was for a truer experience of God, but for her at least, this never materialised.
It is easy to follow others, it saves the effort of thinking. It also helps those who lack confidence. To stand by your own ideas takes courage and effort. In The Mind as Nature, Loren Eiseley wrote "Like the herd animals we are, we sniff warily at the strange one among us.".
Along the same lines, Rudyard Kipling wrote:-
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."
This idea is supported by others who have struggled to be themselves, one such was E. E. Cummings, the US born poet, who said:-
"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ".
It is a struggle, but should not be. I was born that way.
In The Spiral Staircase, Karen Armstrong wrote:-
"The great myths show that when we follow somebody else's path, you go astray. The hero has to set off by himself, leaving the old world and the old ways behind. He must venture into the darkness of the unknown, where there is no map and no clear route. He must fight his own monsters, not somebody else's, explore his own labyrinth, and endure his own ordeal before he can find what is missing in his life. Thus transfigured, he or she can bring something of value to the world that has been left behind. But if the knight finds himself riding along an already established track, he is simply following in somebody else's footsteps, and will not have an adventure."
In this text, Karen Armstrong is talking about God or at least religious beliefs, but her ideas apply equally well to life in general.
In The Spiral Staircase, she describes in detail the pain and transformation she experienced moving from the religious life to one where her intellect was trusted to provide a better picture of life, the universe and everything. In her convent years, she was expected to conform to very strict rules and codes of conduct, if she did not, the consequences were unpleasant. The hoped for result was for a truer experience of God, but for her at least, this never materialised.
It is easy to follow others, it saves the effort of thinking. It also helps those who lack confidence. To stand by your own ideas takes courage and effort. In The Mind as Nature, Loren Eiseley wrote "Like the herd animals we are, we sniff warily at the strange one among us.".
Along the same lines, Rudyard Kipling wrote:-
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."
This idea is supported by others who have struggled to be themselves, one such was E. E. Cummings, the US born poet, who said:-
"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ".
It is a struggle, but should not be. I was born that way.
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