Poetry in motion: universal truth.

The extraordinary beauty of his movement as he went into top speed was breathtaking. Keats might not have been there to see it but this is surely what he meant when he wrote:

‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.’

An active manifestation of truth; a physical manifestation of universal life force, or love.

———————————————-

I’m sorry they wouldn’t let me embed the video here, but if you haven’t seen the run it’s worth clicking on the link and letting it take you to YouTube.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Wendell Berry

Berry’s words have particular meaning for gifted, creative and talented individuals. We have all experienced that sense of despair when our vision of the world seems so at odds with everyone else’s that we wonder if we’re going crazy.

That’s when the last two lines of his poem seem most significant. We can take joy in the notion that although baffled we are employed. We are not dead-alive.

And more, we have probably all experienced the exhilaration of feeling our creative intelligence driving us over the edge of an impediment into a whole new way of seeing and understanding. Or into creating a whole new category of solution.

This is something we are uniquely well-equipped to do. It is also something we are uniquely entitled to take joy in and to prosper from if the circumstances support it.

Redirect the negative

If it simply isn’t possible to soar into a new paradigm, then it becomes necessary to manage the inevitably negative emotions building within you.

If you have the skills you can use them to write, create music or paint. If not, perhaps you can direct them into physical activity or, in a different direction, into intense but focused thought.

If you’re like me, sometimes you may have to do all three!

However you approach your personal bafflement, remember the image of that stream. Nothing can stop its flow. It can only be redirected into something more compelling.

Just like you.

Our perfection as gifted, creative and talented adults is often a poor mix with the perfection of the other individuals in our world. We are seen as weird or worse by our families, our workmates and our acquaintances.  All of us have experienced the rejection – sometimes gentle, sometimes harsh – of our insights and suggestions. All of us have had to bite back the words: “I told you so!” when we turned out to be correct-but-ignored yet again.

It’s not surprising that so many of us retreat into a way of being in which only we are aware of our unique inner light. We might quench it with drab clothing,  or a humdrum job. Or maybe we medicate it away with alcohol or other drugs. All these behaviors are in the interest of protecting ourselves from the pain of rejection, the isolation that results from our uniqueness, or the exposure arising from success.

Our hiding, while understandable, is a loss for both us and the universe. It costs us our potential for making the world a more beautiful place. To achieve this, I need you to fulfill your true essence and you need me to do the same. That way, everyone benefits.  When we find the courage to express our light from within, we give others permission to do the same, freeing them to benefit us with their own talents.

There is no immodesty in stepping forward to claim what is yours. By manifesting your true self you reveal the light of the world shining through you, not centered upon you. Even a performer, center stage and with every light in the house turned upon her, is really saying: “This is all about us as humans,” and not just: “Look at me!”.

It’s only when we dare to let universal energy manifest through the unique stencil which is ourselves that we discover our potential. Through our self-revelation we assert: “I am worth this risk. You are worth this risk.”

We are not guaranteed a consistently warm reception. Even the sun, shining equally on all,  drives  some people inside to hide.  But there will always be others who will unfold themselves and embrace our energy.

You can start the process of revealing your uniqueness in a simple way.  Start by making a list of everything you do well and/or which rewards you with pleasure, however impractical, silly, or seemingly irrelevant. Remind yourself that “do” can be passive, as in “reflect upon” as well as active, as in “dance the tango”. It can be humble, as in “knit” as well as grand, as in “win Olympic gold”.

When you have your list, keep it in mind so that it informs your every action. Know the reality of yourself, of your uniqueness, without judging it. Slowly, you will find yourself manifesting more consistently and more successfully in the domain into which you will move.

There are no short cuts. The human entity makes progress at a pace that involves building cell on cell, assumption on assumption, experience on experience. But the process is unstoppable, the outcome – your ever-increasing manifestation of perfect uniqueness – inevitable.

You may never discover what impact your pure energy has had on others but you can be sure of this:  when you embrace your uniqueness and risk revealing it to others, you benefit yourself and every other one of us throughout the world.