While the moon grows I keep going
This is an entry from my journal. It is about how I am inspired to always put my best self forward.
Minutes past nine. I just returned home from my final walk of the day. The temperature is hovering around 0 ā. There is some snow at the highest peaks, though not enough for skiing. Tonight is especially humid. I could see the reflections of the faint moonlight on the air. We are almost at the first quarter of the new moon. I put cold water on my face as soon as I entered the house and am now writing this. I feel invigorated to continue after a full day of working and tending to my routines.
Most days since the winter solstice have been cloudy and we have gotten plenty of precipitation. Still not up to the desired levels, but much more than what we had experienced last year. Last night we got heavy rainfall for the first time in what probably is more than a year. I am still used to waking up on such occasions to check on the status of my flood-control project. The infrastructure work I did is holding up nicely. The stream has taken the direction I gave it. Vegetation is growing where I want it to be. Everything is solid and sustainable. Breaking the bedrock in some carefully selected spots was the final touch. I overcame this challenge through careful observation and sustained efforts in the face of discomfort. But I do not rest. There is much more to be done.
When the spirit resigns, the body follows. The other day I met a āneighbourā (+30 minutes away) who is in his early 70s. Less than a year ago he was full of energy, tending to his olive trees and other plants, among many other activities (woodwork and hunting, for example). Now he gave up on everything and remains idle all day. The reason is that a relative of his will soon uproot the trees to build some apartments for touristsā¦ Fuck this greedy world. To deny a man of his projects is to kill him before his time. My neighbour lost the source of his enthusiasm: the grand idea that provided him with the power impulse to act.
When we serve a higher purpose, we muster forces that are otherwise not available to us. We submit to the higher authority, to that which transcends the confines of our ego, to achieve our highest deeds. Such is the awe we draw from it that it gives us strength in the face of adversity. Once things get tough, we do not lose our calm because our purpose is like a fixed position in the constellations: we can always spot it and reorient ourselves accordingly even in the middle of terra incognita.
This is how, for instance, humans survive for decades in warzones while the coddled fellow online has a mental breakdown after reading some harsh words on a forum. The latter is fragile, for they do not think big. They have been trapped in their own little bubble owning to the cumulative effects of bad habits, yet they think of it as their safe space. This is a circle of superficial comfort that necessarily shrinks the more they try to avoid any hardship. Once the self becomes the goal, then the inertial point of reference is lost. There is no lofty standard anymore. Complacency creeps in. Idleness becomes the norm and whatever does not come about easily is dismissed with the help of some convenient ideology.
A friend of mine who had just turned 30 at the time we met remarked that āwe are old nowā (Ā«Ī³ĪµĻĪ¬ĻĪ±Ī¼ĪµĀ»). This is a common saying among defeatist Greeks. The attitude of my compatriots is to let go of all intensity and switch to a mode of rapid decline after their 20s. I do not share that ethos. āNo, my friendā I told him āI still have four decades of youthā.
When I was standing at the peak of the mountain earlier, well over a 1000 metres above sea level, I felt the cold breeze on my face. It was dark all around and calm like every winter night. The sky was clear and I could see the quarter moon in the Western sky. It is in these conditions of tranquillity that the soul gets anabaptised as it draws the astral energy to reengage. While standing there I took stock of the work I did today, starting from before dawn. Each project received my undivided attention. I did it with honesty, to the best of my abilities. I was thus satisfied with myself. Tomorrow shall be the same. Such is my outlook.
I feel the responsibility to always put forward the best version of myself; to try things in earnest. Why? Because I do not believe that my deeds are limited to my self. All I do has an impact on the world and those who get to know me. Thus there are consequences that are felt far away from where I stand, including for people I will never meet.
It all starts with my attitude and what it enkindles in the hearts of others. I want them to turn skyward when they think of me. Not to find me. No. I belong to the ground. They must identify that which is greater than them. I embody a timeless message, a reminder if you will. To make them aspire to their highest. To motivate them to not shy away from duty and to never be satisfied with their own mediocrity. When you cheat on yourself, when you renege on a promise you made for your own wellness, find the courage to admit to it and try again until you get the basics right. The rest follows from there, given consistency.
Oneās mindset is not the conduit to immortality. Though it is a prerequisite for sustained excellence; excellence relative to oneās baseline. The growing moon is a reminder that there are forces in this world that defy our volition. There is no āif you truly believe itā kind of gimmick that works for them. The moon will be full in ten days and soon the Chinese people will celebrate another Spring Festival. The years come and go. What remains in the cosmic memory is oneās legacy as a source of power for those yet to be.