Several people asked me what I was referring to in my last post. I
wasn’t trying to be cryptic. Rather, I was musing on the oft quoted
question that Shakespeare asked in Hamlet:
“To be or not to be, that is the question.” I think it’s an important
question that all of us should ask ourselves every now and then.
Are we being or not being?
In other words, are you who you want to be right now? It’s a question
I’ve been struggling with for a while. I believe that God has planted
deep within us the true essence of who we are and if we aren’t
fulfilling that, then we find ourselves discontent. For me, deep
inside, I believe God has called me to be a writer and for a long time
I fulfilled that calling. But I decided to set that aside and explore
other things in my life, including high school and college. I had fun.
I met great people and made lifelong friends. I had good and bad
experiences. I enjoyed life, but I’ve come to the realization that I’m
missing something.
Can a broom be anything other than a broom? Or a vacuum cleaner be
anything other than a vacuum cleaner? Nothing in life ever fits well
until they do what they were designed to do. People are no exception.
We’re not meant to go through life ignorning our calling. Too many
people are not enjoying life as much as they can because they’re
denying themselves. They are not being. They can try to deny it, but
it’s like waking up in the middle of night and discovering your arm has
fallen asleep. You still have everything intact, but your arm’s not
functioning and until you do something about it, it won’t move.
As for me, I’ve started writing on and off again, inching back to the
level of writing I used to be at before I set it aside. I can feel my
sleeping arm begin to tingle; it’s starting to move again, proof that
I’m moving in the right direction.
To be or not to be, is that the question for you?
WhiteLancer64 says:
how philosophical!
Earth_Alien_RV3 says:
That’s really cool. I’ll keep that in mind along with my “object permanence” lesson God taught me about a while back. Thanks!
–Russ.
PS–Here’s to your arm fully waking up soon!
Anonymous says:
Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing- end them. to die, to sleep, to sleep perchance to dream – aye there’s the rub. For in that sleep of death what dreams may come? When we have shuffled off this mortal coil.
what does your sleeping arm dream of? What does your sleeping self take up tingling arms against? Do you dare sleep when dreams of honesty may come and face you with the un-masked self?
I use a broom to block doorways while my roomba vac is running. My vacuum is an excellent doorstop, in reverse, it fills an airmattress. No one person or thing is ‘designed’ for a singular purpose. Today is different from yesterday, be braced and ready for tomorrow. Everyone and everything must adapt in its uses to fit the circumstances of a new day. Tomorrow you may be in a position to discover a role you never imagined. It may never come again. Aye, ther’s the rub.
Overwoman says:
But talent is born. Michael Jordan (no relation, of course) tried to play other sports and used the BEST equipment, trainers, etc., but his talent is in basketball. There’s also this – do what you love to do, no matter what it is, and the money will follow. And you’ll never have to work a day in your life. Yes, we don’t know if we’re talented at some things until we try them. So try everything! I was just in Phoenix and visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin house with my aunt. Wright had employed a woman there, I believe, as a housekeeper. Not sure of her role. Anyway, he asked her to sculpt his bust and she’d never dreamed of sculpting. He saw her talent somehow. She learned, did it, and it was amazing. So how do we know? Writing, of course, is something you already enjoy, are good at, and can be a career. GO FOR IT! And try other things just to see. You’re young and have your whole life to experiment.
Thirty_Three_Times says:
I really agree with you. I think that too many people ignore what they truly desire and feel called to do simply to do what’s easy or what’s convenient at that particular time and place. I’m a reluctant follower of “being.” I know what I want to do, and what I’ve been called to do, so I’m really trying to follow that, but at the same time, there are a lot of other things that I’d like to be doing that I’m kind of dabbling in here and there. See, now you’ve got me thinking, and that’s the one of the classic traits of a writer – make other think, truly think, about what they’re doing. Amazing.
P.S. I can’t wait to see LOST!!