I find there to be profound wisdom in proverbs, sayings and quotes and I marvel at the way they are so succinct in communicating messages to the reader. Mostly anonymous, they come to us from past generations and from across cultures. They speak of the experiences of lives lived and lessons learned. Quotes, like proverbs, make us think more deeply about something.
Each Thursday, I post a Proverb or Saying and a Quote that I find thought-provoking.
I hope you will too.
You are already complete. You just don’t know it.
Zen Saying
Lose your mind and come to your senses.
Fritz Perls
I feel that there is a correlation between these two thoughts, do you think likewise?
If you don’t see a connection, what is it that you make of it?
Proverbial Thursday is something to ponder about
Suppose because we don’t know we are complete therefore we need to lose our mind to come to our senses.
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Great connection! I always feel like a WiP , Susan. I am not sure I feel complete yet, although I should be…. And it all depends on how we define complete or what parameters we use? Financial security? A family home and well paid job? Or to be emotionally complete and in a strong relationship? This zen saying leaves me with more questions than answers and I feel like I lose my mind thinking about it. Perhaps the quote refers to subconscious thoughts and losing the mind that reminds us of our calendar responsibilities such as putting out the garbage, emailing a client or ringing an elderly friend or relative. If we can clear our mind from clutter we might have some clarity about direction. But perhaps I am reading too much into this quote?
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Sometimes ignorance can be bliss. When we think too much into something, it becomes a chore. Step back and we might see something different. Perhaps we are not asking ourselves the right question? I know of girlfriends who have all of what you described and yet unsure they’ve got it all yet!
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Your comments about friends who have, “all of what you have described and yet unsure they’ve got it all yet,” is quite common. I think many chase an intangible or unreachable, destination when it is the journey that is important.
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That’s right. And that’s what disillusions them
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hmmm…. and I wonder what it takes to help such a person to see the journey, I wonder?
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Probably to take a real step back and appreciate the ‘haves’ they have!
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Yes! Pause, evaluate and reassess. And take money out of the equation?
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I agree with the Zen quote. Each of us are already complete in our own way. We are all individuals and we all have certain strengths, and we all can’t be perfect and every single thing. I think we don’t know it because so often we want to improve ourselves and take things for granted, or forget who we are right here, right now – forget that the person we are is lucky in so many ways. Self-improvement is understandably something to learn towards to, though, because change often improves our self confidence and go where we want to go.
I agree with Mel & Suan. Sometimes we have to get lost or lose ourselves before we can find ourselves. Doing something out of the ordinary or thinking about something that sounds ludicrous can take us away from going around and around in circles, and come to see things from another perspective and see the light.
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Yes, Mabel. Seeing things from another perspective can be extremely illuminating and also educational and another example of why this discussion is great. I worry that if one sees themselves as complete, that would mean there is nothing at all left to improve, which seems almost egotistical. And I do agree that we can’t be perfect. So there must always be something left to improve. But this notion of completion – this is the question. We do have strengths and our physical growth is complete – so a fine tuning of our ability to see and be confident in ourselves is perhaps what the quote hints at? This quote contains only a few words but there is still much to discuss.
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Completion. That is always elusive in my opinion, unless you count confidence as you mentioned. Then again, confidence can waver and we all go through phases of feeling on top of the world and feeling rock bottom.
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If we are confident, we feel complete at that moment. But life is dynamic and right you are, that sense of confidence and completion may be only a temporary and fragile state. If we knew we were complete, and had therefore, unswerving confidence we would then know we were just that – complete. I feel this is our destination and what we might aim to journey towards. The not knowing we are complete already is therefore a necessary state.
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