Dance! Dance! Dance!

Introduction

Congratulations! You were cast in the cosmic performance of life! Sure you didn’t ask for it but don’t worry it’s nothing to fear. Take a look around you, what do you see? Do you see beauty? Do you see chaos? It’s all dependent on your perception anyway. I’ll tell you one thing though, most if not everything you will encounter in life is out of your very grasp. Out of your control. Unfair? Oh well! You will simply have to deal with it.

Sorry I forgot to introduce myself, I’m fate, nice to meet you conscious sentient being.

Your species has the free will to create an entire societal structure to organize and make life non-dangerous and smooth for everyone. Just one caveat though, depending on the individuals who create such structure, there may not be fair rules and regulations. Giving you even less control over your own life in a way and creating more obstacles for you to conquer throughout your existence until your expiration date is met!

Essentially making you a puppet.

But I have compassion for your species, human, so I will help you.

Break free of external’s (my) strings

External 1: People

We cannot control the actions or behaviors of others, but you have control over your own thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Your own virtue and character are within your control. By focusing on developing personal virtues such as patience, kindness, and resilience, we can maintain our own integrity and sense of inner peace regardless of the behavior of others. This is a loophole in the grand performance we call our irrational universe.

Your emotions and reactions are largely determined by your judgments and interpretations of events. Rather than allowing the actions of others to disturb your tranquility, we should rather strive to cultivate equanimity. This involves training yourself to respond to difficult people or evil acts with calmness, reason, and detachment. Individuals who act negatively or harmfully are driven by their own ignorance, misguided beliefs, or personal struggles. They hurt themselves first before they even hurt you. By viewing such behavior through a lens of understanding and compassion, you can avoid being consumed by anger, frustration, or despair.

So you see human, you can break free of my strings involving other members of your species. After all you all are emotional creatures. But will you take such action? That is up to you.

External 2: Artificial, societal constructs and limitations

Many of the constructs and restrictions imposed by society are outside of your control. Societal norms, rules, and expectations within your civilization are arbitrary and constantly subject to change. Rather than becoming overly attached to these constructs, you should focus on cultivating your own virtues and living in accordance with your own virtues. Improvisation, you have all the free will you could ask for in this theater, so exercise it. Live life on your own terms.

True freedom lies within one’s own mind and character. While your species’ external constructs may place limitations on your own actions and choices, cultivate inner freedom by developing qualities such as wisdom, self-discipline, and resilience. By focusing on what is within your control, you can maintain a sense of inner peace and personal freedom. Even in the face of external restrictions.

Challenges, including artificial constructs and societal restrictions are opportunities for personal growth and character development. Rather than resenting or resisting these limitations, you should approach them with a mindset of acceptance and use them as a means to hone your virtues. Such as patience, courage, and resilience.

By living in accordance with moral principles and developing virtues such as wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance; individuals find a deep sense of inner harmony and integrity. Virtue provides a guiding compass for thoughts and actions. Allowing you, human, to navigate life’s challenges with a clear conscience and sense of inner peace.

But don’t forget!

Do not place your happiness or well-being solely on external outcomes that are beyond your control. Inner peace involves recognizing that true fulfillment comes from focusing on what is within your control, such as your own thoughts, attitudes, and actions. By detaching from the desire for external validation or material possessions, you can find a lasting sense of peace rooted in character and virtue. And practice gratitude! You’re here, right now, in this cosmic dance on stage, that’s something to love.

Align your actions with your highest ideals and you shall experience a profound sense of inner freedom and fulfillment. True freedom involves recognizing limitations of external circumstances and not allowing them to dictate your happiness or sense of self-worth. Cultivate a sense of detachment from external outcomes and instead value inner qualities over external possessions or even achievements. Through this, we become less dependent on external factors for our well-being.

No car? Use public transit, bike, walk, they all serve the same purpose, and exercise the same amount of independence. To get you from point A to B.

External 3: Material Possessions

You’re a biological being, no matter how much man-made invention such as money, or construct you possess such as fame, you’re not better than anyone else and vice versa. Come on now, your species invented the whole concept or medium of exchange, by nature you’re all equal. Why attach your value to such things? It makes no sense!

Attaching yourself, your identity, to material or superficial possessions can lead to discontentment and loss of inner tranquility. True happiness comes from cultivating virtues, living in accordance with reason, and focusing on what is within your control rather than being preoccupied with external possessions. They are subject to circumstances beyond our control such as loss, theft, and even decay. They are transitory and do not ultimately define your worth or happiness. Wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance are the true makers of a fulfilled and virtuous life.

External 4: Adversity

Accept the reality of adversity. Recognize that challenging circumstances, setbacks, and hardships are an inherent part of the human experience. By accepting this as a natural and unavoidable aspect of life, you can avoid unnecessary resistance, frustration, or despair. Direct your attention inward. Adversity is an opportunity to practice and develop virtues. Challenging situations provides a testing ground to strengthen your character, accomplish amazing things, and even give your life depth and richness.

But don’t forget to laugh at life here and there, don’t take it so seriously.

As a compassionate force of nature, this is my guide of breaking free from my strings so you aren’t bent at the whims of them like helpless cattle. In addition to your species’. So human what will you do? Will you break free, or bend to my whims like a puppet? Dance! Dance! Dance!

Tis the theater

Thanks for reading

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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From The Good Men Project on Medium

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