Promises, Promises

My last written piece was On Suffering which I honestly kind of suffered through to get it right.

This week, I had another concept piece in mind, but after some back-to-back summer happenings that took me away from home—and the amount of catch up I had waiting for me upon return—I knew I wouldn’t have time this week to do that piece justice. Especiallly when I realized the title of it would be On Evil.

Yeah, I know that's a big one! And I suspect a provocative one for this audience. I've wrestled with it a lot myself, and where I've landed has actually surprised me with how much it helps me move through the world with more ease. That feels worth sharing here because so much of what I hope for you all is a way of being in relationship to your painful circumstances that's life-giving instead of life-draining.

It hit me in the shower the other morning that I have lots of these types of pieces I could write and how meaningful they are to me. In the Tapestry this month, we’re returning to a theme that we visit on occasion: storytelling. Developing our awareness of the integral part of being human that is meaning-making. That we’re all the main character in the story we have of ourselves and the world, and that this story is usually mostly (and sometimes even fully) unconscious. Once we become more aware of our storyteller and how it shapes our experience of life, we can assume more authorship.

What occurred to me during this particular shower epiphany, is that once we start examining our lens in this way, what can emerge is a new story—one that can provide an intentional philosophy that supports us in life. A living philosophy that we can update anytime new information or insight is available. For me, crafting that story is an ongoing practice of attunement: noticing what supports my aim of eudaimonia, a meaningful, purposeful life. A life well-lived.

So, I’m excited about developing this new offering of philosophical pieces here on the Substack. Sometimes the Universe has other ideas for what I’m meant to do and offer so I’m always careful about the promises I make. Please consider it an intention but one I’m feeling passionately about at the moment.

I'm imagining one a week, but again, Life often has other plans for me—and I've learned that when I try to override them, I suffer. You can probably expect these to be broken up with other articles that seem to want to come through me to you.

Also, I’ll confess: these pieces do double duty for me too. Writing is how I process—it's how these ideas actually finish forming—and once they exist as articles, I've got a library I can draw from for the Tapestry and for client work. So this series is as much for me as it is for you. Like most of what I write here.

Some other concepts already on my list: On Justice, On Death, On Free Will, On Being Human (I may need to break that one down a bit—so many angles here)... and a handful of others waiting their turn. You’re probably getting the picture. I can struggle to isolate and write about a single concept because of the way my mind is always making connections. (Organization is a challenge for me for this same reason. Everything could go in three different places—you can imagine my home...)

Please know that I’m not aiming to preach or proselytize but to share philosophical concepts in a way that might offer you new perspectives or ways to understand and make meaning of your experiences and how they fit into your story. Our stories truly determine the quality of our existence. You likely can’t simply adopt my philosophy as your own, but you could play with the pieces of it. Feel them out. See what works to enhance your experience—take and adapt what works, leave what doesn’t resonate or make sense to you.

So, this week I’m just announcing this new series—no promises yet about what comes next. On Evil might be first, or something else might be more alive by then. Next week's another short one for me, more summer happenings ahead. So it will be a surprise for all of us! <wink>

Photo by Roger Bradshaw on Unsplash

Any bets on what shows up next week? I genuinely don't know yet—but I'd love to hear your guesses, or what you're hoping for.