[More thoughts on “How To Be Creative”:]
38. Meaning Scales, People Don’t.
From my blog: “Meaning Scales”. February, 2005:
As Buddha says, there is no one road to Nirvana. Enlightenment is a house with 6 billion doors. While we’re alive, we intend not to find THE DOOR, not A DOOR, but to find OUR OWN, UNIQUE DOOR.
And we’re willing to pay for the privilege. We’re willing to give up money and time and power and sex and status and certainty and comfort in order to find it.
And guess what? It’ll be a great door. It’ll add to this life. It’ll resonate. Not just with us, but with everybody it comes in contact with. The door will useful and productive. Alive and kicking. It’ll create wealth and laughter and joy. It’ll pull its own weight, it’ll give back to others. It’ll be centered on compassion, but will be intolerant of dullards, parasites and cynics.
It may be modest, it may not. It could be a little candle shop; it could be a software company with the GNP of Sweden. It could involve politics or working with the elderly. It could be starting a design studio or opening a bar with Cousin Mike. It could be a screenplay, oil paints, or discovering the violin. It doesn’t matter. Meaning Scales.
Sure, I was pretty drunk on the Kool-Ade when I wrote that, but I think the main point is still valid. The size of the endeavor doesn’t matter as much as how meaningful it becomes to you.
But given a choice between two paths, both valid, how do you know which one to take? How do you know which one has the meaningful payoff?
The answer, of course, is that you don’t. Whether we’re talking about moving to New York to become an “Art Star”, or opening up a humble coffee shop in Alpine, Texas, that’s why they’re called “adventures”. Because you don’t how it’s going to end.
All you can do is admit to yourself that yes, this is an adventure, and to accept it as such, surprises and all. With a little bit of practice you eventually get into the flow of it.
Yes, anything worth doing takes lots of practice. Adventures included.
And when I say “People don’t scale”, I’m stating the obvious: that no matter how meteoric your rise to the top [or not], you are still beholden to the day-to-day realities as any living creature.
Birth, sickness, death, falling in love, watching TV, raising families, mowing the lawn, going to the movies, taking your nephew to a ball game, drinking beer, hanging out with your buddies, playing frisbee on the beach, painting the house, tending the garden. No matter where your adventure takes you, most of what is truly meaningful is still to be found revolving around the mundane stuff you did before you embarked on your adventure. The stuff that’ll be still be going on long after you and I are both dead, long after our contribution to the world is forgotten.
But often, one needs to have that big adventure before truly appreciating this. Going full circle. Exactly.
The New Republic
Len Schlesinger
Seth Godin
Brian Clark
What if you don’t even know what your “adventure” is?
Is that *supposed* to look like a giant arse?
Matthew, upon seeing this drawing for the first time, a woman emailed me, saying, “Dammit, Hugh! Stop drawing pictures of my snatch!!!”
hugh just got me cards & not surprisingly I am unable to give just one per person … the sound of one hand clapping … thank you
Incredibly true. Incredibly profound. I could not agree more, nor have said it as well.
I’m not sure I agree about one needing to have a big adventure in order to appreciate the meaningfulness of the mundane. Because — what then? It kinda sounds like the world according to Dorothy Gale — declaring that the next time she goes in search of her heart’s desire she’ll never go further than her own backyard in Kansas. Ever since I was a young girl I have bristled at Dorothy’s words. Even then I sensed the sad (boring) limits of her take on the world due to her Post-Oz-Trauma. In other words — she’ll never discover the wonders of another land like Oz — nor will she want to.
Speaking for myself — some of my hearts desire is in my own backyard — truly. However — not all of it. If I believed it was all in my own backyard then what would inspire me to look outward?
oh, hurray! I’ve missed this Hugh.
oh, hurray! I’ve missed this Hugh.
This is deeply beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Speaking to your point “you are still beholden to the day-to-day realities as any living creature”: I like to say, “The toilet is the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the president of a great nation or a beach bum. Eventually, everybody’s gotta sit down and take care of business.” Of course, privilege may allow some a bidet while others have to make do with a leaf off a nearby tree, but still…
And speaking of adventures, you’ll never face one more frightening or more life-enhancing than exploring the terrain of your own heart and soul.
Wow… so timely.
My “adventure” right now, dealing with addiction. And boy does this apply.
Thank you, Hugh.
Hugh, that’s a great post. Very well written. Very inspirational. Those 12 – 16 hour days are paying off.