The nature of a man is inherently weak, flawed and incomplete. His mind is hopelessly fragmented when left on its own; free to wander into aimless associations that assuredly lead him astray. The less he is aware of this reality and the more he becomes numb to it, the greater becomes his animosity and indifference to the role he plays in the greater harmony of life. He can grow weary, vain and judgmental as he navigates deeper and deeper into this abyss of ignorance. Becoming, as it were, an elusive island amongst his brothers and sisters in this world, he loses the chance to develop and hone in on that innate connection which exists between himself and everything else.

The opportunity to dig up this reality, that of his inherent fallibility and weakness, is always upon him, ready to be embraced. To whatever degree he takes up this torch and accepts himself for what he is, the more ripe he becomes to develop a positive attitude towards what may be. Judgments towards others fade and in there place arises the ability to measure impartially the various qualities which arise in every type of personality under the sun. He can begin to acknowledge others for their potential, good intentions and the indispensable role they can and must play in the drama of life.

The threat of living in the past or future, attaching oneself to regrets and anxieties for what has been or will be, always exists and sits in plain sight. If he wishes to live up to his abilities then he must accept that life will always be a walk along a precipice, a thin wire between two peaks, or a strait gait from which a fall is always possible, and perhaps likely. Instead of fearing the possibility of slipping and losing one’s way, he must adopt the positive emotions known as faith and trust in a greater plan or force which exists outside the scope of his personal responsibility. If so, he frees himself from an innumerable array of petty fears and doubts which are only ever useless.

Life is short and it can be sweet if we let it. It requires that we first look towards sufferings in a new way, that we let go of the unnecessary sufferings and embrace the necessary ones. A man can let go of one petty suffering after another and muster the strength of effort to work to suffer in a positive and constructive way. That is to say, he can sweat by his brow, sow and plant seeds towards results which bring him and his world an improvement and general betterment. In exchange for this he must sacrifice what comes to him most naturally, that of judging the world and other people by way of ignorance to his own shadow.

The way of it can be simple and ever so practical. It begins with relaxing into a perspective and attitude which is open to seeing himself for what he is. To be able to observe himself and see what normally goes on without notice ought to be a natural talent. But it certainly requires the notion, the idea, of self-doubt to enter the stage and allow the man to see himself as a stranger worth noticing for its nuances and subtleties of character. When the light is lit, from flickering flame to bright bonfire, it will show facets and aspects to the reality of things which serve to broaden his perspective further and create a lens of inclusivity from which he can choose to view the world.

So releasing the tensions in the shoulders, breathing in a full whiff of air and dropping the act of having to be somewhere or someone, he can start in a new way in a fresh moment. The compulsions towards pretension and the fear of covering up personal follies for the sake of saving face among the crowd can be dropped bit by bit. Nothing new can be poured into a full cup and so, accordingly, a man has to let go, sacrifice and allow himself to start anew, naked and without regret for having lost anything he may assume as necessary for his survival.