A disclaimer of sort, you are about to read someone's doing exactly what she is criticising. This an honest admission of the irony of judgements.
Mastery is a word described often these days, mostly because there is so little patience in the world. The 'fast-paced' seems to have gone faster, and in the process like a big aggressive hurricane, it uproots considerations, self-reliance and whole-heartedness out of our human capabilities. The irony of mastery is the focus on lack. Not a lot of time is spend on making things anymore, sitting with a cup of tea is excruciating because being in the present feels so slow and unproductive. The prolific experts are dipping in and out of books, practice yoga and meditation for a goal of self-improvement and personal peace, proclaim their results and achievements to the world in the form of texts, words in an atmosphere of dense but limitless self-consciousness. The illusion of sharing, of becoming better is tracked by this seemingly more and more self-conscious self. Here's an example, perhaps you do this too; I cannot seem to avoid posting my drawing, a picture of a home cooked breakfast on Instagram or Facebook. This is a post about mastery, and for the sake of argument, there is a kind of new mastery.
First of all, what is mastery? Is it 'the process of what was difficult to becoming easier and more pleasurable'? Is it a mental discipline of patience for a long term result? Is it the willingness to practice even if you seem to be going no where? Perhaps it is all of them. Perhaps mastery is a kind of lifestyle choices or sacrifices that afforded long term result. This isn't particularly attractive anymore these days, too slow, feels underwhelming and who likes the feeling of under achievements?
Mastery might happen when I stop thinking about results, and all other forms of matrix to measure the distance between my efforts and your goal. Mastery also seem to happen when I don't measure results so often, unlike a dieter who weigh herself every hour, between meals, and after every pee. That's what social network postings seems to become, a matrix of measure. Do you not feel you've achieved something when you post something (clever) or (not) anywhere on the internet? "i've just posted about my lunch" is as silly as it sounds an achievement in our minds, because we have done something that is broadcasted to the world. Our world that comprises of hundreds of people, some we only met once.
Mastery becomes a fragmented do-over. The proverbial Groundhog day, you get to do the same exact day over and over again and if you are lucky, you are present enough for the changes that day shows. That noticing of changes is mastery. Otherwise, it's the same shit, different day.
What might your mastery be? How do you live if you don't measure your self-consciousness? Might you enjoy the doing more and more, and in that find some inner mastery that feels whole-hearted, meaningful and profound?
Mastery is a word described often these days, mostly because there is so little patience in the world. The 'fast-paced' seems to have gone faster, and in the process like a big aggressive hurricane, it uproots considerations, self-reliance and whole-heartedness out of our human capabilities. The irony of mastery is the focus on lack. Not a lot of time is spend on making things anymore, sitting with a cup of tea is excruciating because being in the present feels so slow and unproductive. The prolific experts are dipping in and out of books, practice yoga and meditation for a goal of self-improvement and personal peace, proclaim their results and achievements to the world in the form of texts, words in an atmosphere of dense but limitless self-consciousness. The illusion of sharing, of becoming better is tracked by this seemingly more and more self-conscious self. Here's an example, perhaps you do this too; I cannot seem to avoid posting my drawing, a picture of a home cooked breakfast on Instagram or Facebook. This is a post about mastery, and for the sake of argument, there is a kind of new mastery.
First of all, what is mastery? Is it 'the process of what was difficult to becoming easier and more pleasurable'? Is it a mental discipline of patience for a long term result? Is it the willingness to practice even if you seem to be going no where? Perhaps it is all of them. Perhaps mastery is a kind of lifestyle choices or sacrifices that afforded long term result. This isn't particularly attractive anymore these days, too slow, feels underwhelming and who likes the feeling of under achievements?
Mastery might happen when I stop thinking about results, and all other forms of matrix to measure the distance between my efforts and your goal. Mastery also seem to happen when I don't measure results so often, unlike a dieter who weigh herself every hour, between meals, and after every pee. That's what social network postings seems to become, a matrix of measure. Do you not feel you've achieved something when you post something (clever) or (not) anywhere on the internet? "i've just posted about my lunch" is as silly as it sounds an achievement in our minds, because we have done something that is broadcasted to the world. Our world that comprises of hundreds of people, some we only met once.
Mastery becomes a fragmented do-over. The proverbial Groundhog day, you get to do the same exact day over and over again and if you are lucky, you are present enough for the changes that day shows. That noticing of changes is mastery. Otherwise, it's the same shit, different day.
What might your mastery be? How do you live if you don't measure your self-consciousness? Might you enjoy the doing more and more, and in that find some inner mastery that feels whole-hearted, meaningful and profound?
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