“One who is afraid of emptiness, of being nothing, is attached.” ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti
As someone who loves driving, and going on road trips, I have always had a strong attachment to my car. I usually never give it to people to drive, I would wait at the garage if the car is being serviced, I ensure I know what work is being done and each and every little niggle with it.
When on our road trip I ensure that I’m parked in a spot that is safe and no one will mess with it. But I have never repaired a dent, or scratch, it’s never been much about the way the car looks, but how well it functions. I never really pondered about this attachment of mine to an inanimate object, until an experience on the journey made me question this level of attachment.
The landslide experience
We were cozy in the place we stayed at along with some friends in a village called Chamba, in Himachal Pradesh, Northern parts of India, and our plan for the day was to drive to a picnic spot called Padari Jot, Kashmir, where we could see glaciers and lush green meadows. But on our way just before a village called Langera we passed an area that was flagged as dangerous due to landslides, and while passing one stone entered the car and another fell on the roof.
We had a lovely day with the kids climbing and sliding down glaciers and on our way back to our guest house the place where the pebbles hit the car was completely blocked. We had no means of crossing over and it was getting late, it was already evening and we had no option left except to check into a guest house close by, and we were assured the next day the bull dozer would clear the landslide.
After breakfast the next morning we went to check what the status of the landslide was. The rocks were still falling, we had no clothes or any of our supplies with us. The choice was to leave the car parked on this side, cross over the steep mountain where the slide was happening, and then take a bus to our guest house a few miles away. The other choice was to drive over 400 kilo meters over mountainous terrain to get to the other side.
Crossing over the mountain was an adventure for the children, but for me, I was skeptical, I was contemplating driving the car which would take me a minimum of 12 hours alone. But after listening to suggestions I handed the car and the keys to the owner of the guest house who said that he would bring it to me as soon as the road clears.
The landslide before we crossed on our way back, the picture on the left, you can see the landslide starts from the yellow marker. The second picture is taken a few feet away from the house with blue roof, the entire road was covered. You can also see how steep this mountain is that had to be climbed.
Four days later we had to traverse the same mountain path and in case it did not clear we would have to cross over the mountain again along with local help to carry our luggage over as it would be impossible for us on the narrow steep climb. The next day I called the guest house owner, the land slide hadn’t stopped, I had a bit of anxiety will the car be safe in his hands?
Will he make use of it or take it for a drive, but then there was nothing that I could do. I let this monkey mind of mine take some rest and as luck would have it, we were crossing over the mountain after 4 days with the landslide now covering multiple parts of the road.
I had a leap of joy when I saw the car, overjoyed that nothing had been touched nor was it driven apart for a few kilometres to the landslide and back, this made me question my own self.
Don't let this stop you, show us some love and subscribe to continue reading!
If you're already a member, please login.
Jiddu’s words are generally always a slap to the face, if you realize you’re nothing you won’t be attached to anything. I’m thankful for the opportunity that I have had to travel, always an eye opening exploration into my being. I do hope you have something to ponder upon, what are you attached to and can you let that go?
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!” ~ Hunter S. Thompson
Traveling has always been a mind and heart-expanding experience for me. The newness is refreshing, the serene landscapes are captivating, and above all there is something about traveling that instantly leads to a shift in consciousness.
We recently went on a long sojourn after a gap of about 4 years. Phew! It was a long wait. But we made up for the lost time, and travelled with 3 children for almost 50 days. There were challenges along the way, but the beauty brought time to a standstill.
Landscapes that looked like scenic desktop backgrounds and discomforting/challenging experiences on a few occasions was a true test of one’s grit and patience. It’s not always a perfect holiday, and that’s the best part about road tripping.
Here are 5 things that I learnt about life from our road trip.
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” ~ Ibn Battuta
Simplicity is the peak of civilisation
You have to go with the flow
In the mountains, bad weather, rainy days, landslides are all common occurrences that can change your plans, you have to be able to adapt to the changing situations. Instead of fretting over it, or whining about how bad the weather is or that your plans have to be changed, there’s no choice but to go with the flow. That is the only way forward.
Acceptance is such a crucial quality to nurture in daily life. When you resist it, it brings about conflict, stress, anxiety and overthinking.
Traveling teaches you to accept any situation that comes up on the way, because when you don’t, you cannot progress on your journey and your stuck, literally and metaphorically, as well. Why ruin the moment, accept it and make it beautiful.
You have to trust
Living in a city often makes you skeptical and always keeps your guard up. Should I trust this person or not, there is always a big doubt. On one occasion, we had gone for a drive to another state close by, around 2.5 hours away from the guest house to catch a glimpse of glaciers. The drive was scintillating, so while returning back to our guest house, the road was blocked due to a landslide.
We waited for some time thinking it would clear, but it was almost evening and the driver of the JCB was on a holiday. We were left with no choice but to spend the night at a sleepy little hamlet and wait for it to clear tomorrow. Luckily there was a decent room available that served homemade food too.
The following day we had some very important decisions to take. Tiny pieces of rocks kept rolling down the mountain, making the area that was blocked really big. It was impossible to even walk across.
Now we had come with the kids and our friends’ family in our car, and the guest house where our luggage was kept was on the other side of the landslide. What do we do with the car? Should we wait a little longer at the village? Should we trust the locals and leave the car behind?
Many questions/doubts and insecurities were raised, and then we finally decided to trust the locals. They suggested we leave the car in the village, and trek up and down the mountain and go back to our guest house. Once the landslide cleared up, we could come back to collect our car or one of the locals would drive it to the guest house.
We gave one of the fellows our car keys and kept in touch with him over the next few days to stay updated about the situation.
Four days passed, rocks and stones continued to roll down the mountain, the landslide area grew in size as well, blocking even a larger area of the road. The only option left was to hire porters to carry our bags across the mountain and trek it up. A kind old gentleman, grandfather’s age, voluntarily came to help to carry the baby up the slippery mountain slope due to the rain, (he was also the person who would play a role in clearing up the landslide).
We all started walking up the mountain slope, completely focused on the path. We made it within an hour, and the car was parked on the other side of the mountain slope. We heaved a huge sigh of relief. The car was exactly the way it was left.
We thanked them for all the help and the old man who carried the baby didn’t even ask for any kind of compensation. He just wanted to help us as he too has grandchildren. Our hearts were filled with deep gratitude for this kind gesture.
As we moved ahead on our journey and entered a place known as ‘Paradise on Earth’ – another picturesque location – another adventure awaited us. A huge glacier broke into pieces just when we had to drive through that road. Something beautiful then unfolded.
There were 2-3 more cars who wanted to cross that road too. We all teamed up together, got a shovel from a close by makeshift shop to clear up a small part of the road just so the cars could pass by. With his heart in his mouth, Clyde took the plunge, drove on the edge with meticulous guidance and encouragement from other travellers. “Move right sir, wait, come come, well done Sir,” were the words uttered in such a close situation.
He made it through, everybody was relieved because our car made way for the other cars to pass by as well. It was a team effort. Everyone was happy and we proceeded on our journey ahead.
Traveling is also a way to challenge your own comfort zone.
It brings you in the moment
The very nature of travel is such that the beauty that surrounds you, pulls you out of your wandering monkey mind and immerses you into the moment. You are completely absorbed in it, leaving no space for thoughts to play catch with you. You find your center and the peace within.
The moment is truly lived!
The moment when the Buddhist monks at a monastery were doing their daily prayers using different musical instruments, was so fascinating, you could feel the positive vibrations in the air.
There were several moments that I can recall on our trip where I found myself engrossed in the moment. There was also an instance where tears came rolling down my eyes when I was awestruck by the landscaped vistas around me.
Get a fresh perspective about life
When you visit new spaces, you begin to redefine your own reality, because your mind gets stretched in new ways and forms new neural connections.
The way you view yourself, your world, and how you approach life goes through a major shift. It’s like opening a new door, or reading a new book.
Our visit to Kashmir gave an opportunity to see things differently. Since it is a sensitive place due to its history, there are many army personnel fully armed, stationed within every 300m on major roads. we haven’t seen anything like that before, it did seem discomforting at first. But that was the reality of that place, and it did seem to me that people have accepted that reality and yet to lead a normal life.
Our mind gets so conditioned in believing things without actually seeing it that when reality comes in front of us, all preconceived opinions and notions are completely shattered and it helps to rewrite old perspectives and outdated thinking. Plus speaking with people from different places that have their own cultural backgrounds and getting to know them better adds essence to the journey.
On a few occasions we were also helped by the army on treacherous, winding terrain, and there was no interference as well.
“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote, To travel is to live.” ~ Hans Christian Andersen, The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography
Travel makes you modest, humble and keeps you grounded, because we see what a small part we occupy in this world. Travel for travel’s sake, and allow life to happen to you.
“Courage is risking the known for the unknown, the familiar for the unfamiliar, the comfortable for the uncomfortable, arduous pilgrimage to some unknown destination. One never knows whether one will be able to make it or not. It is gambling, but only the gamblers know what life is.” ~ Osho
We all have that itch. The itch for adventure. Most of us ignore it. The so called “real world” keeps us from taking anything resembling a leap of courage. Under the all-demanding pressure of Mother Culture, it’s better to stick with the known; to stay safe and sound in our typical conformist patterns.
But what exactly is the “real world?” What’s truly important? None of this is guaranteed. Our civilization is just an arbitrary agreement. Beneath all our rules and laws and petty squabbles, we’re stuck on a tiny planet hurtling through an unfathomably vast and ancient universe. Our lives are fleeting miracles caught up in a cascading series of accidents that just happen to go our way. And none of us has any idea what it’s all about.
As Iris Murdoch cryptically stated, “We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality.”
That’s why the itch will always be there. We long for reality. We long for truth. We long for absolution. This feeling might dissipate over time. Eventually it will become but a suffocating flame inside an old, wrinkled heart. But it will always be there, hoping against hope, and double dog daring us to dare.
But what would happen if you decided to dare? What if you decided to take a leap into chaos? What would happen if you let it all go? I mean let everything go! The never-ending bills, the daily grinds, all the rats in the cage, the dustbin of domestication? What if you flipped it all the bird and took a leap?
Fear is what would happen. Chaos is what would happen. Things would fall apart. And there might be no going back to the way it was before. But maybe that would be for the best. Then again, and this is the real kick in the teeth, maybe it would be for the worst. Life’s a risk, after all, and taking a leap into chaos is one of the greatest risks known to man. It’s one of the scariest things a person can do.
So, you must ask yourself, will love conquer fear or will fear conquer love? If your longing is powerful enough it would be a shame to allow fear to get the better of you. Better to risk fear than to regret love, passion, longing, or adventure. As Victoria Erickson advised, “I choose love over fear, always. I’d rather burn in the fire after touching something true than not feel anything.”
1.) Lachesism:
“Security is a false God. Begin to make sacrifices to it and you are lost.” ~ Paul Bowles
What is Lachesism? Lachesism (n): A paradoxical desire for chaos and disaster such that life is thereafter more poignant, exciting, and adventurous. A longing for the clarity of disaster. Etymology: Greek, from Lachesis, “the disposer of lots.” Lachesis is the name of the second of the three fates in Ancient Greek mythology.
You’ve had this strange desire for disaster. We all have. A yearning for Armageddon. For Apocalypse. For a Great Reset. You stare into the storm and a part of you dreams, what if this is the storm that finally washes everything away? What if this is the real deal? What would happen if civilization collapsed? What would happen if the zombie apocalypse was finally made manifest?
But then the storm passes, and all you’re left with is a glaring metaphor. You turn back into the “real world” face-to-face with the real zombies. Status quo junkies living half-lived lives, gazing stupefied into phones, staring blankly over counters, feeding each other Big Macs and Twitter messages, and grudgingly keeping the cogs of the clockwork churning for the almighty man machine. And you realize that you are just like them!
So, you can’t help but wonder what would happen if it all went to shit. What if you just let it all go, let the chips fall where they may? What would you discover about yourself? Is there courage hidden beneath all that fear? Is there fortitude? Is there a robust character just waiting for a challenge?
Which is what it really comes down to—a challenge. Your lachesism is a longing for challenge. It’s a lust for survival. It’s a hunger for novelty and change. It’s a primordial urge towards a sharpening of the soul. These are not things readily available in the so-called real world. There’s no sharpening of the soul in a dull world. There’s no challenge in domestic bliss. No trial and tribulation in comfort zones. There’s no surviving a zombie apocalypse when you’re the zombie.
Hence your dreamy lachesism, your strange desire for collapse. But there is a sacred stillness at the bottom of hitting rock bottom. At your lowest point, caught between dashed expectations and gross misinterpretations, between past mistakes and uncertain futures, there is a secret voice convincing you that you can begin anew. There’s finally something to overcome.
As Damian Lillard said, “Rock bottom will teach you lessons that mountain tops never will.”
2.) Inversion:
“The way up and the way down are one and the same.” ~ Heraclitus
A leap into chaos inverts the world. And there’s something to be said for inversion. It can lead to outside the box thinking. It can lead to profound creativity. It allows you to step outside your normal patterns of thought and see situations from a different angle. It counteracts cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias.
Inversion helps you realize just how much you don’t know. It teaches you how to consider the opposite side of things. How to think both forward and backward in the moment.
Inversion flips reason. What we call knowledge is an attempt to impose something comprehensible onto something incomprehensible. Inversion reveals this. It shines a light on “the box” so you can finally see what you’ve always been trying to think your way out of.
The secret to creative thinking is inverting the ordinary. And the secret to inverting the ordinary is a leap of courage into chaos, into the unknown, into the darkness. You’ll discover something that the “real world” can never teach you: You can learn just as much (if not more) from the darkness as you can from the light.
A leap into chaos is an opportunity to connect all the dots and finally see how everything is connected to everything else. It’s a chance to marry order to chaos, madness to mystery, mortality to lust. And it’s the only way to give birth to the Divine Child, the Primordial Unity, the lovechild of Shakti and Shiva.
3.) You’ll stretch your comfort zone:
“The comfortable life lowers man’s resistance, so that he sinks into an unheroic sloth.” ~ Colin Wilson
Leaps of courage will always be more important than comfort zones. Smooth sailing does not make seasoned sailors. Comfortable beds do not make fierce warriors. Soft times do not create strong men. You get the gist.
There’s a terrible joy in self-conquest that those idle and stuck inside tiny comfort zones will never know. For self-conquest cannot come from a place of comfort. Just as a muscle cannot grow stronger by lifting a feather. The muscle needs to be torn. Likewise, the self needs to be torn so that it can be put back together again as a stronger thing. That’s self-conquest.
As Georgia O’Keeffe said, “Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing—and keeping the unknown always beyond you.”
Your typical way of perceiving reality must be challenged. You must embrace discomfort. Otherwise, the walls of your comfort zone will keep you running in the same old dull patterns. And your unknown will always remain unknown.
Challenge those walls. Gain heroic mettle by going full-on boss-mode against everything you’ve taken for granted. Topple those neatly ordered walls into disordered adventure. To discover your unknown, you must take a leap of courage into the unknown.
As Marcus Aurelius said, “Stop drifting—sprint to the finish. Write off your hopes, and if your well-being matters to you, be your own savior while you can.”
Writing off your hopes is a leap into chaos. All your hopes and expectations are wrapped up in your tiny comfort zone. Write off your comfort, your security, your safety. Discover something powerful inside you.
The adventurer is the redeemer. For what must be redeemed is the Hero’s Journey itself, and it is redeemed from the trap of the so-called “real world.”
4.) The Hero’s Journey:
“The most spiritual men, as the strongest, find their happiness where others would find their destruction: in the labyrinth, in hardness against themselves and others, in experiments. Their joy is self-conquest.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
All our lives the bright lights of culture have been blinding us. Civilization has made us soft. Domestication has transformed our wolf heart into a preened puppy cuddled at the feet of Comfort. We’re weak and lazy overall, fearfully huddled in our status quo bliss, ignorant of the greater reality that surrounds us.
Today’s Plato’s Cave is the blinding light of culture. A light that has been shining in our eyes for so long that we can no longer “see.” I mean really see. See how everything is connected to everything else. See how our ideals must die for our souls to fly. See how we need to break our heart open for the real light to get in. See how wisdom comes from the sacred wound caused by our leap into chaos. See how the mind of Everything holds the heart of Nothingness and the void of Nothingness holds the core of Everything.
But there is a way to break the cycle. There is a way to transform your boring life into something less boring. There is a way to come alive despite a culture that seems to want to keep you half-alive.
You break the spell by looking at your life as a quest rather than a grind. There are three ways in particular to do this: The quest for adventure, the quest for truth, and the quest for beauty. Either way you must turn away from the grind. Divorce yourself from the rat race. Un-cog yourself from the clockwork. Trick yourself into going on a Hero’s Journey.
You have a terrible choice to make. You either descend into the underworld—into your dreaded abyss, into your twisted labyrinth—with courage and honor, or you will be pulled into it at some unexpected time in the future, unprepared, naïve, and fragile. You either integrate your shadow and gain the potential for controlled chaos on your own terms by taking a leap into chaos, or your shadow will come out at some unexpected time in the future as disintegrated, violent, uncontrollable chaos.
Either way, chaos will have its way. Taking the Hero’s Journey is a way of facing the chaos on your own terms. The Hero’s Journey becomes a whetstone. It’s a way of sharpening character. It’s a way of strengthening the muscle of the soul.
As Joseph Campbell wisely surmised, “The modern hero must not wait for his community to cast off its slough of pride, fear, rationalized avarice, and sanctified misunderstanding. ‘Live,’ Nietzsche says, ‘as though the day were here.’”
Indeed. Campbell goes on further to say, “It is not society that is to guide and save the creative hero, but precisely the reverse. And so every one of us shares the supreme ordeal––carries the cross of the redeemer.”
5.) You’ll be ahead of the curve:
“The very desire to be certain, to be secure, is the beginning of bondage. It’s only when the mind is not caught in the net of certainty, and is not seeking certainty, that it is in a state of discovery.” ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti
When you take a leap into chaos and survive the ordeal, you come out of it transformed into a creature of nonattachment. You see with “Over Eyes.” You’re able to employ your mind as a mirror. You have no hangups. You receive but do not keep. You realize what is truly important.
You realize as Albert Camus did, that “the struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart.” And you understand that the heights matter less than the lows. It was the abyss that transformed you. It was chaos that molded you. It was your integrated shadow that gave you the courage to even begin to dare the heights. And all because you took the leap.
Chaos has taught you what to trust and what not to trust. Counterintuitively, it has formed you into a more ordered thing. A thing of precision and deep interrogation. A thing that can see through both illusion and delusion.
You no longer trust answers, especially the people who sell them. You no longer have any faith in black and white thinking. You trust in dirt and bone and flowers. You trust in blood and honey and red wine. You insist on color. You insist on questions. You insist on the Truth Quest over the “truth.”
Your leap into chaos has taught you the power of seeking a beautiful death. You see how chaos is just as much a place for rebirth as for death. Thus, you are reborn. And you’re determined to stay awake. To remain ahead of the curve. To remain vibrant. To remain double edged.
You will be hard yet soft, firm yet adaptable, fierce yet kind. You will perform the paradox of being a human being forced to live in an absurd universe. But your arsenal is healthy. Your love is sharp. You will be a poet of chaos. You will be fully alive.
“Trust your hunches. They’re usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level.” ~ Dr. Joyce Brothers
“Trust your gut,” said a friend before you took up a new project, and your gut feeling was that it would work out, and eventually it did. Gut instinct is that instant hunch, the all-knowing feeling that tells you when something is right or wrong in your life.
Whether it’s buying a new house or taking up a new job or getting into a relationship etc., if you are aware about it, there is always this tingling sensation in the deepest part of our gut that tells you whether it will work out or not.
We know about the brain-gut connection, in which your mental state has a direct effect on the functioning of your actual gut. Given that your gut can interact directly with your brain, this fact may explain why it is known as the gut instinct.
Following our instincts helps us in our lives to make better decisions, it might not be accurate all the time, especially if you mix it up with fear-based anxiety. While fear and anxiety is a build up in anticipation of a future event. your thoughts are frantically racing, you feel scattered trying to come up with solutions to the negative scenarios. Your heart rate increases, and hands get clammy etc.
How do we know that you are getting a gut feeling?
“Just like it is so important to understand the difference in thinking and feeling to increase our Emotional Intelligence, it is important to take the time to understand the difference in emotional feelings and gut feelings to further increase our intelligence and facility of intuition that we call Intuitional Intelligence.” ~ Martha Char Love
Increasing Intuitional Intelligence: How the Awareness of Instinctual Gut Feelings Fosters Human Learning, Intuition, and Longevity
As the name suggests, it mostly involves the ‘Gut’ like butterflies in your stomach, a deep sensation in the stomach, sweaty palms or feet, tightness in the body, goosebumps and so on.
Gut instincts are spontaneous, an instant flash of insight when you are confronted with something. You feel very strongly for a decision or an action.
Pay attention to your mind and you will be able to differentiate whether it’s your gut talking or is it coming from a place of fear.
Here are 6 gut instincts you should pay attention to and never ignore ~
“Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts; it may be all you have to trust.” ~ Jocelyn Murray
You can sense danger
When you and your child go for a walk to the hill and you’re walking through rough terrain covered with dry grass, making it difficult to see the ground. Suddenly you sense that there is a ditch in the front and you pull your child aside.
When you go to check, you realise there was a big hole under the sheet of dry grass, that’s your gut telling you about potential danger. This kind of extrasensory perception is helpful to protect yourself and the ones you care about. If you ignore these signs you also tend to get a feeling that something isn’t aligned.
You sense something fishy
Have you experienced an occasion when you enter a known space and sense that something is fishy, something doesn’t feel right? Pay attention to it, maybe someone has set you up for something bad to happen, or maybe a loved one is lying to you about not cheating on you. If you get a strong and clear feeling, pay heed to it.
You feel this isn’t the right choice
Over the last several years, when we have gone house hunting to live on rent, we generally rely on our gut. How did it feel when we entered the new space? How is the energy in the room? Does it feel right to live here?
The choice has always been accurate. The first time we went to see an apartment and it instantly felt right to live there.
You feel something is not right with your health
If you are tuned in and aware about your body, you will also be able to sense when something is wrong with it. You feel that something is off with your body or that you are going to fall sick. If your gut is telling you that something is wrong, do something about it. Take time off and figure out what’s wrong.
You are at the right place
It’s not always about negative feelings or potential danger that one experiences, the gut also tells you when things are falling in place. You sense an aura of good vibes and energy in the air and you feel like you belong here, “this is it”!
I felt like that when we took admission for our eldest son in a Waldorf school which was 55 kms away from home. The moment I met the founder and the other parents, it gave me an instant feeling of home and that I knew them from a previous life. Those are your gut instincts telling you that you have made the right choice.
You should take the plunge
When I took up blogging in 2008, it was a big step, as I had to quit my job and settle for something lesser than what I was making at that time. Deep within there was a feeling, a mix of gut instincts and intuition that guided me to take the plunge. It felt right to make the shift.
There have been ups and downs, but it has worked out, nevertheless. It has been a profound learning experience to initiate transformation on the personal front and strive to become a better person.
“The only real valuable thing is intuition.” ~ Albert Einstein
Tune in to your bodily cues and your inner wisdom!
Practicing meditation can rewire and realign our intuitive abilities, here are 5 easy ways to tune in, or enrich your meditative practice, and meditations to bring you back into the light!
The video below shows how going with his gut feeling eventually led him to turning his dreams into his reality.
Let go of your worries and be completely clear-hearted, like the face of a mirror that contains no images. If you want a clear mirror, behold yourself and see the shameless truth, which the mirror reflects. If metal can be polished to a mirror-like finish, what polishing might the mirror of the heart require? Between the mirror and the heart is this single difference: the heart conceals secrets, while the mirror does not. ~ Rumi
