Before we can accept the love of others, we need to be able to accept the love of ourselves.

Can love bloom, even in an ominous dark cloud?

As I was sitting down to see what I could concot in a blood shot eye induced 11th hour Words of Wisdom before I turn in at the end of the work week, I realized my tired and wearied state had not the capacity to do anything too extraneous, even though the will to conquer on a metaphysical level was alive and well. On some other chaotically divorced level, I have too many disparate thoughts on where I should focus, as in the one hand, I want to tell this group of people over here to think more, and this group of people over there to feel more. So many people need so many different things, one size fits all wisdom sometimes struggles to parse the difference.

Even within that acknowledgement, I thought to myself, well, maybe I could offer some well needed boost of morale, by going with the simple notion of “Be more”, for those who just aren’t embracing themselves enough, and deserve that level of comfort to just be in their own skin, and feel good about their authentic selves.

Than I thought, well what about the people who feel too pressured to be more? Stressed out at the mere notion of exerting themselves? To that I replied internally, in that case “Be less”, give yourself a break, realize you create your own standard, existence proceeds essence, you can create your own path, ideology be damned.

Than I considered this…what about those people who don’t even know how to be in the first place, totally adrift in space time, rudderless and without direction, without spirit, without a sense of self, plagued by some kind of absurdist metaphysical dysmorphia of grave proportions, who can’t stand the thought of themselves, as there is no “self” to be standing within, totally aside from an essence of “I” and all understanding of what it means to be the “me” self your “you” should inherently intuit?

At this point, in an admittedly flustered state, I landed on the notion of “Just Be“, as a way to settle the majority difference. Now, I know what you’re thinking…what about the people who do not just “want to be?” Well, I think that they could benefit the most from this message, as the pain of being is far too much to bear by ones lonesome on a regular, so having some kind of voice, any voice at all, is a well needed comfort in this sad, lonely world.

So what do I mean about “Just Be”? It is in one way quite simple, and in many ways, a struggle of infinite magnitude, though I think truth remains amongst the abstract rubble of confusion. I think a common thread that runs through what plagues so many about themselves to these absurd eyes is the very notion of the self, the proverbial “I” casting itself out, in dire need of a something or someone, and yet, itself is no self at all, leaving it isolated and destitute at the cross street of nowhere and nothingness.

So, what does “Just Be”? actually feel like? That is for you to feel, understand, and decide. No one, in any proper sense, can tell you how to be. You make yourself, and no one else has the priority or right over you to do that. If that sounds absurd or impossible, break down why. Who’s stopping you? Why do you think that? What would you rather do? Is it possible? Would it make you happy? You may find you have a lot more power than you give yourself credit for, and perhaps one of the reasons you never found it within yourself to find what that’s like, is because you didn’t realize you were just so god damn scared of just being you, all these years frightened to just give yourself the wiggle room to take a break, get comfortable in your own skin, and give yourself just an ounce of credit for how hard you worked to make it to this point, and how there is nobody else that can take the credit and feel proud about that but you. That to me, possesses leagues of bravado far beyond whatever you might see on any screen, and is worth celebrating.

So yes, my Words of Wisdom today, in all of their absurdly complex simplicity, are simply “Just Be”, and truly understand what that means. You may be surprised to find out: it actually suits you.

As always, take care of yourself, and others.

-Pashford