Nietzsche Quotes

Tonight I was browsing some quotes while thinking about the day. I found two by Friedrich Nietzsche that I really like and seem fitting for the day.

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."

"What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil."

Religion = Personal

Religion. Why must one try to conform someone to their system of beliefs?

I am me. You are you. This should be very simple.

When was it decided the lines that clearly marked and labeled this separation became cross-able in an utterly irritating way? Answer... when I allowed them to be crossed.

I no longer...

...want to be your project of conversion.

...want to be repeatedly questioned about where my beliefs stand.

...want to put on a show for you, when ultimately it is at the expense of being true to who I am.

Ownership

The word “ownership” is something that can be taken multiple ways. I have had this subject on my mind for a while, and it seemed to want to pervade my thoughts last night as I was trying to fall asleep.

We can own many things in life. In simple thinking one might be drawn to think about ownership in materialistic terms. Moving beyond objects that manifest themselves in our lives physically, we can attribute this thought pattern to our lives in a much larger sense.

There have been many instances in my life where I have been in situations or made decisions where ownership was lacking. I have felt the effects of my shortcomings, as well as the shortcomings of others in this area. In reflecting on each of those memories there is a feeling of disconnection present on some level in all of them. In not taking ownership of your life and all that it contains, you in a way sit on the sidelines calling the shots but not fully immersing yourself in the experiences that become of your choices. The experiences themselves are as important as the raw results gained by your decisions.

On my behalf – lack of ownership has landed me in debt, failing relationships that continued long past their expiration date, blurred boundaries with key people in my life, in jobs that have met my basic needs but never pushed me further, and countless other spectatorship like ways of living that perpetuated the cycle. As I stated before, I have witnessed this behavior in others which affected me, but in the end it all comes back to my lack of ownership in my life that made it possible for those situations to even exist in the first place. Ownership requires taking responsibility, but to a much higher level...

I think that there is a distinct difference in responsibility and ownership. When someone is responsible for something it requires that they are dependable and reliable to get said thing taken care of, attending to the implied needs. I will not argue that ownership requires responsibility, but I will say that it requires more than just that. It requires pride and a personal sense of importance to what is being attended to. It requires the self to give the given situation one hundred percent as it is now part of them as an integral part – whether ownership stays permanent or not - is not of importance in the moment. It is about giving your best, to the situation, yourself, and your unfolding life.

Complicated Δ Simple

There has definitely been an increase within the smiles department of my life lately and it’s quite welcomed – obnoxious declarations of happiness were my world in the last blog and not much has changed. :o) The smiles continue each day...

There are two quotes tonight that reached to me. I have decided to go with the more ambiguous of the two, as one has a message so clear that it could cause an outcry of questions, which makes the quote I am going to choose even more appropriate.

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” ~Dr. Seuss

For those who know me... I am a fan of Seuss quotes. The quotes themselves bring with them simplicity in complexity and this one hits the spot for multiple reasons... including the fact that it speaks to the style.

Complicated questions with simple answers are hard to wrap the head around at times. Whether it’s a question from inward or coming from an outside source, I lean to complicated answers for complicated questions... which sometimes isn't the best route to an answer.

I have asked myself a couple of complicated questions recently and have given myself extremely simple answers. It is in the rawness of a simple answer that one can find significant truth. Don’t misunderstand me... even when the conclusion is a simple truth... introspection and analysis are integral parts of the answer most times... but in the end there are some truths we can find that don’t have clear logic and that is okay. At these times... it just is what it is... and it is in these moments we can find an answer that holds overwhelming clarity even in simplicity.

H-A-P-P-Y

Sooo... :o) I normally get on here when I am frustrated, upset, lost, need direction, or am just plain sad. These emotions when present are passionate and strong, even though not very pleasant. I can endlessly write when I am in this space. It is when I am in a happy place that I don’t find as much importance in blogging.

I will occasionally go back and read through my posts to see where my life has been in relation to where it is going. If I leave out the really great things, then I will be leaving out a very important part. Along with the negatives in life, there are amazing positives at times which are equally important. So, I am about to throw some positives out here.

I am H-A-P-P-Y. :o) I love the space I am in at this moment, both physically and mentally. Smiles are easy and abundant. The future feels filled with so much possibility. I don’t feel any immense distance to any of the important people in my life... and in fact I feel closer to some of them than I ever have. There are goals for my future that I am slowly moving towards and it’s exciting (for example... going back to school in the spring is going to be major for me). I am soaking up the hugs and laughs. Life feels at peace. I was thrilled to wake up this morning and start my day. Like I said... happy... really really happy.

I am grateful for these moments and times in life when I can sit down and not have a list of things pulsing in the front of my brain that are bothering me. Life is far from perfect, but even with the imperfections things can feel amazing. It’s all a matter of how you handle the imperfections. :o)

Truth and the Shell of Delusions

The lyrics below paint an interesting picture, describing defeat in unnecessary acceptance that the past is the unalterable future. But it’s the last line that really triggered me as it fit right along with where I have been recently “Limiting comfort to a claustrophobic shell comprised by our own delusions.”

Excerpt from the song Fragmented Oblivion by Odius Mortem
Reasoning and rational a deficient acceptance of ends
Convinced the future resembles the past
Molding reality to refuse progression
disconnected from origins of being
Repeating these cycles of life
Swarms of perception melted together normality ripped and reformed
Limiting comfort to a claustrophobic shell comprised by our own delusions

In the last week I have started to come to terms with part of the shell I have created from my own delusions and the comfort I have repeatedly found in these delusions. This shell has been so reinforced with years of bad decisions, lies told to make excuses, and the stories making mock truth of it all.

Not too long ago I spoke into the atmosphere the desire to have someone in my life who would challenge me and my stubbornness. I was told to be careful in what I wished for. One could say that in a way, the law of attraction worked with this one.

I recently have been pushed, in a firm but gentle way into the spotlight of pure honesty. I have stood on the edge in my mind glaring at the small mound of what I know is a much bigger mountain of questions I need to ask myself. It is time for me to start pushing myself.

Thank you for the starting momentum.

Years of repeated patterns have engraved a groove so deep that I can't see over the side naturally unless I reach to do so. The hammer is in hand and the walls blocking the truth will come down with time. One can say that recognizing the problem is half the battle. I see that I am in the groove, but know now that I don’t have to stay there if I don’t want to be there. There will certainly be times where I slide right back in, but failure doesn’t have to be permanent. That’s a choice.

Claustrophobic is highly appropriate for the state that my life has been in for quite awhile. I also find it interesting that claustrophobia is a state of fear.

I have been holding on to another quote that I think is appropriate for this post and will end with it. I so want to find comfort in the truth and not delusions, as truth breeds truth.

Truth only reveals itself when one gives up all preconceived ideas. ~Shoseki