Try Peeling the Onion

Supposing it were the nature of God (or whoever you conceive it to be) to allow us to see the miracle growth of a single flower, from seed to its budding and flowering, our whole approach to life would change. Today I want to caption our dialogue, peeling The Onion. I love seeing my Grandma in the kitchen peeling the onion and this reminds me of human life in general.

Human psyche, like the onion is almost infinitely complex, made up of layers upon layers of thoughts, experiences, emotions, fears, loves, and goals. Those who seek to find the true essence of their being or to move past a fear find that there are many intermediate steps along the way. When we first look inward, we look at ourselves as a whole, when in fact we are only seeing the surface. Like an onion, if we move past the surface, we will find another layer. Moving past that, we find yet another layer. These layers are barriers and everyone has them. You may work past one fear only to be confronted with a deeper, underlying fear. Or you may fully assimilate a revelation about a friend, someone you care about only to find other aspects of that revelation that you had not discovered. How many layers you will confront before finding a resolution is unknown. This is the journey, this is life. Whether you are in love, in the academia or what, it is true to life.

But the journey to the center of the onion—what life is all about--can be an enlightening experience in and of itself. As you break through each barrier in life, you gain a more profound understanding of your own mind and come to learn the unique facets that make up who you are. You will become intimately acquainted with your needs and wants, reactions, aversions, pleasures, and pains in order to achieve your goals. Through that you will discover qualities within you that have been buried by the years or by old hurts. This knowledge is cumulative. As you break through one barrier and confront the next, oftentimes more powerful, barrier, you will be equipped with the knowledge of self mastery that you have gained during your searching.

During the "peeling of the onion," you may feel frustrated because it can seem like progress is slow or nonexistent. But don't let the multitude of layers bother you. Many of the qualities that make us who we are may be hidden at first. The process can continue indefinitely, for with self-discovery comes growth and thus further discovery. The more you learn, the more you will inevitably find, as you travel deeper and deeper within your soul. And remember, be bold, firm, resolute and weather every pattern of challenges. Just be the master of your fate and the captain of your soul.

Weather Patterns

Folks will flake and flakes will fall
there's nothing you can do
People post their patterns for you
often in plain view

The chance of showers now
as in the past is much the same
Get caught out in the downpour
and you've no one else to blame

Decide to weather patterns
unprepared and you might lose
But heed the telling forecast
and my friend, you'll never lose!