Lone bird

We live in a world obsessed with community, collaboration and inclusion. We have hammered the social view home so hard that we have forgotten what it is like to be alone. We associate alone with lonely but they are quite different. Alone is a physical state, loneliness an emotional one.

For most now, there is no moment we are alone as we fill our attention with screens and people, entertainment and work. We are always occupied, even when no one is there, we make sure we are have company through apps and games, social sites and music.

Anything that drowns out the voice of our thoughts.

Worst, we teach our kids from a young age that they should not be alone by occupying every minute of their day, filling it with all of the noise so they can never be in silence, never hear their bodies, or their mind tick. Never listen to what is inside and express it externally.

There are so many distractions in this world, so many urgencies that we must attend to right away, every beep or flash from the phone takes more of us, hides more of us. But we do not notice, for we are consumed. Consumed by consumption itself.

We trick ourselves into feeling connected without ever finding out who we are and what we can offer. This means that our connections become insensititive, manipulated and built on a foundation of fear of being alone.

If we want to be our best, me must be alone. At least for a time.

Meditate, write, explore our minds, understand our bodies, work through whatever emotional barriers are stopping us from acting. We need no one for this, no psychologist, no friend. Just a mind, a will and the heart to be fearless, look deep inside and really discover what we are made of.

We cannot discover this through others, only their perspectives. This can help us find starting points, but their are definitely not the conclusions.

Once this is done, each action, each interaction is clean and pure from that point, the path is clear in front. Not easy, but obvious. Passions can flow, connections with others are honest and open, the kind from which great things spring, and miracles happen. We can collaborate well, compound ideas openly and develop skills to improve ourselves and world.

In the flock, a bird flies directed by the mind of the group. Bound to choose what all others choose and the safety it provides brings comfort. A lone bird sits on a branch, contemplating a direction to fly, thinking where it will hunt, which birds it will meet, able to choose its actions, a mind of its own. Free.

Taraz
[ an original ]

The photo was taken in Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. It is near Harajuku and famous for its cosplay and eclectic range of weekend visitors.