Changing Roots

A conversation over coffee led us to the topic of childhood. Somewhere down the line we spoke about how we are all like trees, our roots being our past and our trunk and branches growing from our past into the now. And we thought how difficult it is for a tree to grow to its full potential if its roots have an atrophied growth due to negligence or active harm done to them in their formation. One can easily get rid of unwanted growth in the trunks and the branches of life, yet to get rid of one’s own roots is a really tricky task, if not done carefully the tree succumbs.

In many ways many of us are tending to our roots knowing the problem lies within and on the surface we just see little growth, but once the difficult task of addressing the roots is done, detangling them, relying less on certain directions, containing rapid unwanted growth in others, the tree has more of a chance to renew itself. One grows newer roots and relies more on them and can enjoy the sun much more profoundly and blossom.

Understanding Imitation

From Morgan Housel’s - The Psychology of Money

A young lawyer aiming to be a partner at a prestigious law firm might need to maintain an appearance that I, a writer who can work in sweatpants, have no need for. But when his purchases set my own expectations, I’m wandering down a path of potential disappointment because I’m spending the money without the career boost he’s getting.

This is one of the clearest examples I’ve found yet that illustrate not only the futility but immense harm that one can get themselves into by blindly imitating the status quo. Social Media and the ever increasingly personalized advertising systems do their best to make this imitation game even more lucrative.

Morgan Housel uses the example to make aware his readers that simply spending the money like someone else does without clearly understanding the reasons of how it will help them grow might mean you are throwing away that money and in effect a chunk of your life that you have lost in gaining it.

This is a great example to scale up to anything in life. One sees this all the time all around us. Some examples

• Getting a car without knowing if it benefits you

• Getting a higher education just coz its a norm

• Buying an iPhone (or the next expensive gadget) without it adding anything to your growth

• Working your tails off to afford an expensive home just cause everyone is expected to own their own property

Its easy to get jealous and want the next material thing (be it a degree or a designer suit) and consider it to be needed for your identity. To face that its a vanity project is much harder for the brain.

We are all different people with different goals in life, these comparisons inevitably lead us astray and make us invested into things that are not aligned to the paths we want to walk. Its hard to have a constant reminder to have your goals and your processes as your identities and not the materials which are mere tools that can aid you in your walk. Each time you swipe your card or create a transaction you take a few steps backwards in your path. Meaningfully used money can create a slingshot effect of propelling you much faster ahead, but if it amounts to a big Zero or worse it takes you backward in the path to your goal, what good is it?

Re-solving Resolving

Yesterday I watched episode 3/5 of Agnes’s From Here to There where she documents the places, people, artists and artworks she loves. She is one of the most amazing film-makers that we’ve ever had. A powerhouse of love manifesting on screen.

There is a scene in the film where Agnes interviews art collector Elsbeth Bisig who claims to be really sad to sell an artwork by Mario Merz, a piece that she had with her for over 18 years

An Igloo by Mario Merz

. Agnes responds by humbly asking “I imagine it sold for a high price. Over a million Euros?”, ”A bit over it, yes” Elsbeth replies. “Was meeting Mario important for you?” says Agnes, “Unforgettable” she replies.

Though troubled by it Agnes leaves the contradiction of it unresolved. Not everything is meant to reach to a state of resolution. Sometimes we tend to think that if something is not going according to our will we should change it in some way. It manifests in actions like directly encountering the problem, arguing, writing useless reviews or comments over the so called problem. But the problem stays and if not from the same source it emanates from elsewhere. Maybe we need to choose wisely where we spend our energies. Instead of directing our precious time towards vacuous efforts on meaningless pursuits its best to direct them towards our objects of love and find a deeper joy in uncovering it.