“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ― Albert Einstein
Previously, I’ve been called a “headbanger”. I think the Managing Partner of the law firm who uttered those, now, immortal words, wasn’t reporting anything malign: he was merely mirroring my high-octane state in trying to get ahead.
Who the f*ck knows.
Of course, that was then; this is now.
But, seriously, that’s what I feel like I’m doing in trying to connect the dots between the world I know is possible and the one that presents its lifeless corpse across the media landscape or what I see with my own eyes.
I know, at some stage, these words will have to be turned into action, which will probably see me join the stampede to do something about climate change et al., but it goes further than that. Whereas, in the past, I saw part of my offering as trying to wake up my little band of brothers and sisters to the “…genius within” in the hope (I presume) of bringing inner peace to their lives, particularly in the workplace, now I see my role through a bigger lens, i.e. Gaia.
Of course, I don’t need do anything; I’ve a full-time job; a stable home life; and I’m enjoying myself in and around my creative endeavours. But I still feel it; namely, that deep sense of loss that comes in seeing one species after another wiped from the face of the earth, and our complete forbearance of the corporate actors who seem unable or unwilling to change their business model to embrace something more holistic than another Corporate Social Responsibility programme.
I understand now why I was attracted to and invested so much time in understanding the TEAL space. For a short while, at least, I saw a way to marry ‘soul with role’, which I naively thought would see said companies embrace a new paradigm, one shorn of corporate greed and instead infused with love…for everything and everybody.
I’m sure TEAL will or could be in the mix going forward, but right now, I’m keen to understand how my legal training, my love of nature and my nascent psycho-spiritual mythos can be brought to bear in the most meaningful way possible. I don’t see me doing too much with my profile but I do see me emphasising the fact that if all we ever do is look for liberation without, at least, cocking a snook at our life-system outwith our material self, then, frankly, we’re living in cloud cuckoo land.
I hope that I can hold your attention long enough for this once career-driven headbanger to come alive, again, in his work, but even if nature isn’t your thing, I hope you’ll understand the deeper significance of enlightenment beyond the interiority of being at one with everything and at peace.
Photo by Arūnas Naujokas on Unsplash
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