I sometimes wonder what "progress" means and if it really means anything at all. I wonder if "change" is the key word here.
Methinks that change is constant and that "progress" is simply change in the direction we are wanting to go. I also wonder how much of this process is our own individual doing rather than just jumping on the right bandwagon. Sort of like boating down a river, allowing the current to propel, but guiding along the way; where is the river/bandwagon taking me? At certain points I jump off and re-group waiting for the next ride. How much of life's progress is really just me? Successful entrepreneurs surround themselves with a good team of people who each have shared in the vision. So, if change is constant, whether on a small or large scale, whether suddenly or gradually, whether we see it or not, so much of life is holding on for the ride and perhaps gently steering when needed. Sometimes I positioned myself in places where the wind happens to be blowing in a certain direction for whatever reason, or where the general activity level is either low or high, for example city vs rural life. When I was younger, I did not do well as a competitor, whether in sports, career or anything...I just did not have the competitive mindset. I have never really wanted to lead or follow. The city was not an environment that was suitable to my characteristics. So, I ended up moving my family to rural areas. But things change...anyways what is my point? My point is that there is momentum all around us, movement, stuff is in flux all the time, transition, transformation, growth, and is the art of living to use the existing forces to aid us in "progressing" or advancing in the direction we desire? Something as simple as breathing can be a way to direct oxygen in a particular way. What about sexual energy? Does energy become sexual in nature when it is flowing through the human body? In a way I think it does, because we are sexual beings, and if I deny the fact that I am a sexual being, then I am blocking the flow of vital energy in ways that may harm myself (and others). What does it mean to be a sexual being? It means that humanity has been split into male and female, the sexes, so it's our inherent nature. Not engaging in physically intimate acts with another person doesn't mean I am denying my sexuality, it just means I am channeling the energy along a different path. I am no less "sexual" if I am living in "monk mode", because my sexuality is inherent, in my innermost being, but if I go deeper, eventually I will find that place of non-duality, that place where male and female merge, and that is the divine. What is amazing is that we have the capacity to connect to the divine, consciously.
Right now I am in so much physical pain....from my latest low back episode. and finding a position to minimize the pain is challenging, but I have to write every morning, I have to, even if it means sitting or reclining in pain while I do it. The writing helps me transcend the pain. I know it's temporary, like everything else, like my life, like my emotions, like my situation, all is subject to change all the time, and that is a fact that I cannot change!
