Day 3: A story in a single image – A Map

“Oh no, not again.”

“Put the map away, just for now.”

“When I was younger I used to go for drives in the car to try and get lost, just to see where it took me, where I would end up. It was an adventure to see somewhere different, somethings I hadn’t seen before. It was exciting.”

“If you keep using the map or worse still your satnav, looking outside of yourself for directions, you’ll never learn to trust your own guidance system.”

“It’s inbuilt you know, we’ve all got one. No one was left out when they were dishing guidance systems out.”

“But what if we get lost?”

“Well, that’s just another illusion. It is just a state of mind. We cannot get lost. We just think we can or we just think we are.”

“That’s stupid, if I am not familiar with my surroundings and don’t know which way to turn that’s lost in my book.”

“I know that it can seem that way. But that’s because we have a tendency to identify with things, people, places outside of us. When we make a connection with these it makes us feel secure, stable. Generally the familiarity blocks out any feeling of being lost.”

“I don’t agree with that either! I had a friend who had a great family, really supportive they were and all she forever went on about was how lost and alone she felt. Her familiar surroundings and people didn’t block out her feelings of being lost!”

“Each of us in life walks a unique path, alone. No one can walk it for us. Yet, at the same time we cannot ever be truly alone. We are all connected to one another whether we like it or not. A bit like the cells in our bodies. Each has its own identity but functions as part of the whole.”

“When we look within for that stability, our inner connection, we can still enjoy those connections we perceive as outside of us, but in a more fulfilling way. But when we try to resolve concerns our through our conventional conditioned route, a part of us pulls away from the inner secure complete self and a state of imbalance occurs. This causes an emotional reaction and with that reaction there is then a tendency to seek outside with even more intent to find something, and find it quickly to ease the pain of separation, loneliness, being lost.

“We are lost. But only from ourselves. We are always with ourselves. We cannot not be with ourselves, ever.”

“But I’m frightened, what if there’s something out there I should be aware of that’s not good OR, something, an opportunity that I might miss.”

“Well you’re sure to miss it if you try to engineer it.”

“Just try it, humour me. Put the map down, set off and enjoy sensing where you are going.”

“I always knew you were mad! But you are my treasured friend, I trust you. So just for this journey, I’ll humour you.”

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