Reaching the Plateau! Part III
Reaching the Plateau!
Part III
by Leslie Gaddy
“If man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.”
Herodotus
Imagine being on the beach, feet in the sand, cool ocean breeze, the warmth of the sun, people combing the sands, children splashing and playing in the water, sailboats in the distance, surfers riding waves, parasailers riding the wind, and you, resting, relaxing, thinking of nothing but absorbing within you this beautiful place of serenity. Or perhaps you would relax more in the countryside close to a small lake, on the dock at sunset, on the boat for a cruise to check out the landscape of tall trees, rolling hills, waterfalls, the sound of children swimming close to the banks, boats pulling skiers, trails for exploring, small campfires and tents lining the banks, young people swinging from tree ropes, and people of all ages playing music, dancing and singing. Or perhaps you long for the snowy mountains, bundling up next to a fire in the evening, drinking a cup of hot chocolate, roasting marshmallows next to a campfire, skiing the slopes, or building a snowman with your children. No matter the scenery that urges us to relax and let go for a bit, we all need periods of rest. As children, we instinctively understand this concept. We wake, we eat, we play, we nap, then repeat many times throughout the day. As we mature the napping becomes less and less and in its place, the stamina builds to work longer and with less periods of rest.
For some, yearly vacations from jobs or family gatherings at holidays constitute our periods of rest and it's always planned around our busy schedules. For others, the job tags along, and it's only the scenery that differs. For most, however, rest comes in the form of taking bathroom breaks and getting broken up sleep. We have this idea that we can work a job until we are too old, then when the time comes to retire we can become lost and unable to fill the gaps of empty time. Even retirement can fail to bring us adequate rest. None of these examples provide for us the much needed rest that we require to function at our best or at minimum, provide for us some sort of stability . Perhaps vacationing becomes a means of escaping the rampant thoughts that plague our minds, rather than a means of resting. The truth is that we can never escape the mind and its turmoils by simply taking a vacation from our jobs, but we can release its hold when we understand that lack of adequate rest is what keeps us in this cycle of mental turmoil. Our work then, is not where we toil away at tasks that bring us misery to meet our financial needs. That defines our jobs. Work is the energy we put into creating a better reality for ourselves. What should naturally follow the work, are periods of rest, which lies within the mind. We must allow our minds to rest from the worry, dread, confusion, fear, and concern for lack that is reflected in the people and the environment we are surrounded by. Even a minute a day can bring about positive change and improve our well being. Imagine the healing that can occur when we increase this amount of time to 15, 20, or 30 minutes a day!
Every belief system or religious practice teaches us this concept. Prayer, meditation, mindfulness, quieting the mind, and peace of mind are all terminology that explain this. Christians may call this letting go and giving it to God. The songs that are sung in church teach us to give our problems to the lord in prayer. Even nature teaches us the importance of resting. Do our pets not take naps throughout the day? Do the plants not rest beneath the soil until it is ready to fully live? Do the plants not repeat this cycle of resting beneath the soil when its leaves, fruit, or flowers fall? Does the Earth herself not rest during the winter months? Does nature blame others for its state of being? NO! Nature self corrects and continues despite what humanity is doing or not doing. Even if we have destroyed the parts of nature that provide for us, we are in reality only destroying ourselves. There have been many periods of the self destruction of humanity, yet the Earth goes into a deep slumber, such as the ice age, taking her time in rebuilding and regrowing and recreating self sustaining health. She lets her inhabitants know what she needs and gives us all warning through drought, volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes or tornadoes; any condition which shakes off the old and replaces it with the new. She continues to rotate each day, week, month, year, decade, etc., then rests between each cycle to begin anew. Given that we are in fact part of nature, would it not make logical sense to work with nature and as nature? We should heed the warning given to us by evidence of the dinosaurs and other extinct beings that were left behind for our discovery. The Earth will proceed with or without us. It is up to us to take the personal responsibility to ensure our well being and longevity.
Another important realization that we can derive from nature is the understanding that we are THE only ones responsible for our own choices and our own journeys, meaning, we cannot place blame outside of ourselves for the challenges we face along our chosen paths. We truly have the choice to be who or what we decide on and the only way an outside influence can affect this, is by allowing it. Being unable to understand this truth derives from the unrest we experience in our minds. We tend to operate on auto mode which is programmed by our experiences and societal input. The result of taking personal responsibility for “self'' is that we all naturally function as one cohesive unit consisting of many different parts. It's only those who operate outside the natural cohesive unit who suffer. (Do not get this concept twisted; a natural cohesive unit functioning as part of nature is not the same as being controlled by an authoritative government body or tyrant. Instead, this cohesive unit is established naturally within homes, communities, and nations; each member embracing its personal responsibilities, its communal responsibilities, its national responsibilities, and so on. In contrast, a controlling authoritarian government will dictate this for us.)
Nature consists of many different life forms. We relate more closely with the animals, whose instincts lead their way of existence. Rest is one of those instincts of animals that lead their way of existence. This instinct within humans gets ignored much too often. The animals, however, lack the cognitive abilities that humans possess, therefore, are driven by instincts alone. We as humans have the unique ability to function as animals, living instinctively, and functioning as the soul, living intuitively. Animals can be easily controlled or else caged by humans since we have this innate understanding of instincts. And those of us who rely ONLY on instinctive drives, risk being controlled or caged as well. In other words, we must balance our instincts and our intuition to live freely and to choose that which best suits our own personal needs. An example of someone living freely and making personal choices to suit personal needs would be a self-reliant person who takes care of their physical well being, based on instinct, and their spiritual well being, based on intuition. The self reliant person naturally attunes to a society that benefits ALL.
One pitfall we should be aware of is confusing rest with laziness. Laziness is avoiding responsibility and relying on others to provide personal needs. A lazy person will still lack rest. When needs are unmet, the lazy person will work harder at manipulating others into providing rather than putting in the necessary work to attain it. Resting is not laziness, but is instead a necessary part of existing in a healthy and harmonious state of being. Another pitfall is confusing rest with selfishness or self absorption. A self-reliant person must be selfish at times, meaning must be open to receive that which meets wants and needs. A self-absorbed person is selfish the majority of the time and open to only receiving the majority of time. The balanced person is open to give and open to receive equally.
The last component of the plateau is the rest component. If we imagine our journeys as a road trip from the US East Coast to the West Coast, then the rest stops and overnight stays would compare to the plateaus. When we drive for too long or make short stops without resting, then we function at a much lower level. When we continue our road trip with no stops, then we will either run out of fuel or we become so exhausted we cause an accident. So I leave with two final thoughts: Would it not be nice to take our time and enjoy the trip along the way? Once we reach our destination, would it not be nice to be rested and vibrant when we explore the new unfamiliar territory we find ourselves in?
May we all live in peace, harmony, and joy for the remainder of our lifetimes here on Earth.
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