One Lucky Soul: OLS Reflections Soixante-Dix-Neuf

OLS Reflections Soixante-Dix-Neuf by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

• In a world consumed by lies, fakery and deception, being true to and with yourself is one of the most daring, courageous, rebellious, revolutionary acts there is.

• Surround yourself with those who celebrate the fiery light shining out of your soul. Those who feel summoned to fan your flames and dance within them. Truly, there is nothing like finding fellow humans who vibrate at similar frequencies and whose passions vibe with ours. Shine On and On.

• The price to pay for being referred to as an ‘expert’ or ‘specialist’ in a certain field is spending your entire life learning more and more about less and less. Naturally, you come to know it quite well. But it’s still one reality tunnel. When recently re-reading Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra it was compelling to find him mentioning said men, only succinctly describing them as: “Those who had too little of everything and too much of one thing”; “Men who lack everything except one thing, of which they have too much” and “Men who are no more than a great eye or a great mouth.”

You see, it is always remarkable to come to know some good people who excel in their professional “occupational” fields yet appear to have almost zero knowledge in other more human fields. Like how to cook, how to dance, to create, to talk and woe and flirt; how to simply BE. It seems many of those experts and specialists are exceptionally good at following what’s already been established. But stepping outside these realms doesn’t concern or even interests them. They are missing out on living life in its most general sense. And for what? Money, possessions, titles; really, mundane materialistic stuff. All the while trying to prove — to yourself before the world — that you’re “a man” or even that you’re worth it. Well, you yourself are enough, despite what the outside world attempts to convince you.

 Following ten years of employment starting my early 30s, I began to eclectically reckon that there are many more colours and flavours to life than having a specialised “career”. Even when then I took art in general and writing in particular as vocations, I didn’t see myself boxed in as just a writer, or poet, or photographer. But rather, just a human being using a colourful variety of art forms to express his humanity, as well as to heal. The multitude keeps one sharp, curious, and rejuvenated. This child-like wonder towards the universe and the entirety of existence also keeps the creative juices flowing unobstructed. It equally keeps you young at heart. 

Nevertheless, practically we still need experts and specialists to run our everyday world. Yet to add balance to the flux we likewise need those liberated, non-conformist minority who being ones doesn’t interest them.

• It seems that being childless compels me to connect with my own inner child and its playful, sometimes mildly mischievous nature. But also to connect with random kids I sometimes bump into — with the wide-eyed novel, curious looks. I always take it as a chance to get a glimpse of the sheer unfettered innocence and the undiluted simplicity most of them still possess. The experience often does add you with perspective, usually about the essentials of life. It is why I say make it a habit to every once in a while spend time with people over 80 and children under 10. For this heartwarming “Young at Heart” energy is highly contagious, intoxicating even. After all, we’re all looking for those whose inner child know how to play with ours — whether we’re conscious of it or not. The more we mature throughout life, the more keeping the spirit of that child alive becomes an existential choice: Between slowly decaying from one side and keeping us young in heart and mind, therefore creative and enthusiastic from the other. Love your inner child. 

Keeping alive the inner child
Untamed and wild
Full of questions and wonder
Curiosity survives lightning and thunder.

• When we carefully observe how random stray dogs communicate with us ‘strangers’ as well as among themselves, contemplating the fact that some people may live their entire lives fearing canines — even also felines — becomes rather remarkable. But what are they really afraid of? If they were not bitten by maybe the neighbour’s dog as children nor developed a certain phobia, then it seems they are afraid from that which they do not know. Certainly, they had never had a relationship with a dog — or cat — to know better. So we’re back to fear of the unknown: One of the oldest, most neurotic, persisting, destructive kind of fear. Feating the end of the “known” tends to freeze many of us. When, however, our perspective shifts from fear and replaced by curiosity, almost everything changes for the better — including all our relationships, bet it with humans, dogs, cats, or even with insects.   

Truth is, there is absolutely nothing to fear from such gentle, loving creatures.

• May you always value the simple little things in Life. For they make a big difference and hence are the most important. Simplicity, in actuality, tends to be deeper than complexity. ‘Tis the reason why the simple often passes unperceived by the complex. If we look around us, we’ll find that the more one masters a certain domain, the more simplification they will strive for.

• The strongest souls are those who help others through their storms while they themselves are going through their own. They may actually help release others from their chains and fetters while still on their way to emancipate themselves from theirs. The strongest also tend to be the gentlest.

• Humans are the only creatures who are officially called Beings. You don’t see dog — canine — being or tiger — feline — being. A dog is just a dog as a tiger just a tiger. I wonder if that very naming we, human “beings”, have given ourselves puts a certain pressure on us to constantly want to be or become someone or something.

• There is something so soothing about listening to the sound of waves while staring at the rising sun, it seems to have this magically ability to wash away all our troubles.

• Whenever someone shares with you a sad personal story or tragic event while still keeping up their smile and sense of humour, be certain they have died inside many times over. Yet, they have somehow come to find a way as well as the will to transcend the numbness caused by the tragic sadness and reach a certain reconciliation with the self and with the reality of things. When it comes to matters we have no control over in life, changing perspective can indeed do wonders. And nothing like humour to help us rewrite our story while integrating the experience into our own lives, hence get past it. “Let go or be dragged”, as the Zen proverb reminds us.