Introspect
Self-analysis is of particular importance to the creative individual. Without an understanding of the path that the mind is on, there's no real way to know where the rest of the spirit is going.
Journeying into the unknown is all well and good, and some would argue essential to the basic acts of exploration and discovery, but I'm not talking about moving forward with a map. I'm talking about understanding the mechanism that's moving us forward, the actual vehicle that we're riding through the darkness and into the light.
Questioning whether the things we hold dear are still worth holding dear is a practice that needs regular undertaking in order to remain as fetter-free as possible. Simply because something was appealing at one point in time doesn't make it worthy of a slavish and dogmatic following for the rest of a life. Some things are meant to be embraced in passing, and then allowed to drift with the current while we paddle ourselves in other directions.
"Know thyself" could very well be the most critical axiom to internalize and make as rigid a discipline as breathing if we're to both survive and fully appreciate the gifts that experience is bound to bring.
First draft: 140628
Published: 230228