Resistance

On a recent overseas trip, I wrote some more poetry as I was reflecting on my experiences feeling a readiness for what comes my way; below is an excerpt from an interesting book I've been reading and a poem I wrote on a related theme - Resistance.

‘12 Rules for Life’ by Jordan Peterson, 2018, pp 43-44

I came across this passage which discusses the balance of order and chaos and may be useful as you navigate daily life:

“We eternally inhabit order, surrounded by chaos.  We eternally occupy known territory, surrounded by the unknown.  We experience meaningful engagement when we mediate appropriately between them. 

To straddle that fundamental duality is to be balanced: To have one foot firmly landed in order and security, and the other in chaos, possibility, growth and adventure. 

When life suddenly reveals itself as intense, gripping and meaningful; when time passes and you’re so engrossed in whatever you are doing you don’t notice – it is there and then that you are located precisely on the border between order and chaos…Chaos and order are fundamental elements because every lived situation (even every conceivable lived situation) is made up of both. 

No matter where we are, there are some things we can identify, make use of, and predict and some things we neither know or understand. 

No matter who we are Kalahari Desert-dweller or Wall Street banker, some things are under our control and some things are not.  That’s why both can understand the same stories, and dwell within the confines of the same eternal truths. 

Finally, the fundamental reality of chaos and order is true for everything alive, not only for us.  Living things are always to be found in places they can master, surrounded by things and situations that make them vulnerable.”

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Resistance -  a short poem by Dr Deb Roberts

The opposite of resistance is willingly
letting in what comes forth
and then letting it go

We tend to resist what we don’t want
to think and feel
but it’s so very important to allow it to flow

Comfort and discomfort are experiences
we all share in life
we can let both in willingly
or experience them in strife

A lot of our fears are born from days past
we can realise their original pull
but not make them last 

We can also acknowledge other people’s histories and let them be
we no longer have to take on
their energy and this point is the key

As we mature into ourselves, our awareness continues to expand
we become wiser without having to know all the answers and we are able to ground and land  

Order and chaos in life
is a perpetual balancing act
I wish it was easier
but this reality is a fact.

xxdeb