View From The Bridge

Let it be. No, not that song by the Beatles; It’s kind of my new mantra. This blog is a follow on from the last, and I wanted to convey what I hope is a more measured approach to thinking about the world. You see, I’m 42 now, and I hope I’ve a few good years left in the tank. And I want to spend those years in a generally positive frame of mind, which means refraining from some of the negative patterns that I allowed to take hold. This isn’t to say I’ve lost my passion for truth and integrity and living with energy and verve. Quite the opposite; I value these things more than ever. It’s just that I want to enjoy the ride, and help others to enjoy it, too. Any reader of my blog can see that I have often been aggressive in my criticism of various ideas. I’ve no regrets, and I haven’t had a change of heart. It’s just that as part of moving on I want to spend less time at war with the world and more time celebrating its wonders.  And what a world it is. What incredible possibilities exist amidst it? There is just so much I want to do, so many places I want to see; it would be a crime to let the past drag me into a whirlpool of perpetual self reflection. I cannot change the past. I do not want to. For good or ill it’s the only launch pad any of us truly have. I know that many who read this have had desperately difficult lives. And I understand how trauma can leave a person beaten and dejected and mired. If this is how you feel today then I feel nothing but compassion for you. But can I also strike the following call to arms? Your past does not have to dictate your future. You don’t have to live as a victim, or exist in a state of permanent mourning. There comes a point, irrespective of the hand we’ve been dealt when all that is left is to decide where do we go from here? So that’s my question? And I ask it to you even as I ask it to myself? I don’t know how many years I have left, but what I do know is that I want to spend them as constructively and positively as I can. I want new experiences, new horizons, and I want to enable and empower others to do likewise. So if you are in a dark place now can I encourage you just to pause for breath? If you have the strength just raise your head and try to understand that nobody wins if we allow ourselves to be slaves to a past we cannot change. I genuinely think that there comes a time when, regardless of how painful, we have to forge ahead. We have to change. We have to become more than we are today. For your own sake try to look upward, look outward, and get help if you need it. Your future isn’t carved in stone. And it may surprise you. But here’s the thing, you cannot keep a foot in both worlds. Ok, well perhaps you can, but I don’t see what you stand to gain? I’m not asking you to be blind to all that made you what you are. I just think that in order to venture seaward we need to push ourselves off from the shore. The land will still be there. There on the horizon if ever you need or want to look back. But you will be free to travel lighter, faster, and be more agile. Do you really think you don’t deserve that?