I would like to begin this blog by taking specific material from my new book: Espresso Lessons. So, let’s start with a quote in the opening of the book:
“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men (and women) of old; seek what they sought.”
–Matsuo Basho, 17th century Japanese poet
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What does this quote mean to you and how are you applying it in your life? Arno
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Apprecaite and honor the paths of those who came before us but define the task before you in the reality of the moment.
Honor and apprecaite and honor those who came before us but be present in the challenge that currently invites you.
The people who have walked before us bring great knowledge and experience, but we must find our own voice in that vast sea. We must walk the path in our own way, trusting our own intuition. We are all seeking the same or similar ideas and truths that others sought after, but finding our own step and our own dance in this experience is the key.
I think we all tend to follow in the footsteps of others instead of being leader of our own lives. Seems like a natural tendency to seek comfort. Being leaders puts us face-to-face with the unknown. Seeking our own path, that has more insecurity and unknowns, allows us to find out own way to universal knowledge. That knowledge may all be the same but our path to it is different. And, that difference is what creates our life and gives it meaning.
MR
last year i was wondering around the bottom of a cliff wondering what to climb when i saw a line and thought thats it, i need to climb that,and i did. it had been done before , but i hadn’t and in seeing the climb for the first time and going for it, would of been like the first crew to do it, a great adventure. But i suppose that only works with climbs without fixed gear already in place
Hi Micko, you give a practical example of this seeking process. Even though the route had been done and had fixed gear, you limited further “seeking what others have sought” by not looking in the guidebook. Rather, you were driven by an organic desire from within to climb a line on the rock that you were drawn to. You were seeking in the same way the first ascentist was seeking: looking into the unknown for knowledge and possibilities.
Arno