We are not living on an island, alone, nor would many want that life.
Living an island life, free from outside influence and responsibilities, may from a distance appear to some like an ideal life. For most, it is not. The very carefree island life, in reality, is neither carefree nor, except for a hermit, ideal. It’s a hard, lonely life.
Imagine a life with no one to talk with or share ideas with. The idea of a carefree existence would be nonexistent when all life responsibilities are solely yours. You may be able to set your own schedule. However, that schedule would most likely be filled as well with constant daily tasks.
Perhaps Center is more easily attainable when life’s focus is on living. If daily tasks include growing food, thatching a roof, preparing food, mending clothes, and other daily living tasks, the center of life is life. Meditation about life, when life activities focus on life, may not exist or may be in full balance with the center of life. In other words, the center of life.
It’s a much greater challenge to attempt life from Center when island life does not realistically exist in your life. Though a challenge, living from Center is not perfect or absolute, but it is also not impossible. It does need to consider that the greatest challenge is living in an imperfect world.
Living in an imperfect world does mean we have to consider environmental fluctuations and changes along with other external conditions. Though what most would consider the greatest challenge in life is living with others. People present the single hardest piece challenging the ability to live life from Center.
Even if living from Center is the goal, we cannot pretend we live life as though we are alone on an island. We do, and most of us want to live a life with others around. So, how do we balance or find harmony with life with others while still primarily maintaining a life lived from Center?
It seems the key to this way of life is to recognize this way of life is a conscious choice with respect to personally maintaining Center from a global perspective.
A global perspective on life is not perfect. It understands that a well-lived life is lived not from a pinpoint center, but rather from a broad, comfortable circle. The circle of comfort is personalized to fit the life and personality of the individual.
A person with a large family may choose a larger circumference to include the complexities of many compared to a person who prefers a calmer, more solitary life. Then again, a single, extremely active community worker may have a need for a circle with concentric circles for their lifestyle. Each individual designs their Center space configuration.
Whatever your design, there will be times when life is a place of peace and being right in the center of Center is so easy to exist. Then there are the many other life experiences when events are not peaceful or calm, and the ability to remain right in Center seems not possible.
Life events that may disrupt a harmonious flow of energy, in addition to people, may include worry about a house, health, finances, and other problems. These things can draw and drain energy.
However, most people find it is living with other people that presents the most challenges. People are unpredictable. People are moody. People do not behave or respond as we’d like. People don’t love in a way we want. People do and don’t do things to our liking and expectations. Some actions are tolerable. Or maybe only tolerable for a time.
How often are we aware and easily able to blame another’s behavior for causing us to get out of Center?
I will admit, living with people is a challenge at times. Some days the challenge is much greater than others. Though, for myself, I much prefer having others around than living the life of a hermit. This life choice for me comes with several thought-filled reasons.
And because I want to live with people around me, I also need to live with the stresses that are presented and bring me to the farther edges of Center and, more times than I wish, outside Center.
People are unpredictable. People seldom behave just as I would like them to. Their actions cause me to unknowingly question my ability to remain centered. And when they don’t act as I want them to ideally respond, I react. My actions can be, generally, less than ideal.
We may argue or sulk. And it’s so easy for me to see how the other person’s action fell short of a proper response and thus understand their part in my hurt and inability to be centered.
Maybe it’s age or spiritual growth, but I’ve come to understand that in so many things, nearly everything in life, I also play a part. So I must also look at what it means to live and be in Center.
What happened both by another’s action and my own that I am no longer centered? And how do I get back closer to Center?
When I am upset, I believe I can be justified in my reaction. When I view it with some objectivity, I continue to hold some bruising while the incident heals and return to, at least, the outer edges of Center.
However, I think it’s also important to understand another’s actions. If another person is set to think and act in a way that is disturbing to me, I may benefit from learning how to avoid allowing myself to pay them a dividend I owe them.
Very seldom do we owe others the emotional energy we pay them. We pay high emotional prices because we believe it buys us a higher position, though generally, it does not.
It is true we have a right and responsibility to express honest emotions when appropriate. From these honest emotions, we may be able to have honest discussions. It may also be true that with some people, it’s impossible to have an honest discussion. They intend to win at your expense.
If you know such a person, protection in a way you choose makes sense. It may mean that, to be in Center, you take deep breaths and sidestep them as much as responsibly possible.
The key for living, not just with the flow of everyone, but from your Center, is to choose to live in Center.
So what is living from Center?