Renegade Yogi

Fuck thinking big

Yes, you heard me right. It’s time for a new post and I’m feeling some shade of rebellious.

Oh, and a kind word of warning before you go further: I am not going to pull any punches. I’m not going to preface anything I say except right here. Violence and destruction are going to happen. Consider yourself warned.

And now, I begin:

We have a culture that expects so much of us. Success is defined by how much you accomplish in life. We have images of success pushed on us on all sides.

There’s an entire industry devoted to selling you ways to do more. There’s people who’s job it is to get you to “think big”, “follow your dreams”, and other fucking bullshit.

Why is it bullshit? Why should I call the very establishment of Western culture, a culture that has produced so much awesome stuff, conquered the world, created Twitter, and been to the moon multiple times, why should I call that bullshit?

Because we kill ourselves every day trying to do more. To think big. To push ourselves to accomplish something that we can be recognized for. Did your book go triple platinum? Did your blog post go quadruple viral? Did you create a new awesome community? Did you design your own lifestyle? Did you empty your inbox? Did you grow spiritually as a person? Did you have gratitude? Did you make a new friend? Did you automate your income? Did you fucking do everything you’re supposed to?

Fuck big ideas. Let your goals die. Let them rot a stinking death. Let your dreams and ambitions die and die again, right before your eyes. Watch atom bombs and global warming disintegrate everything you hold dear. Death and destruction are real in this world and you are dancing through it.

Now, now that the world around you, everything you love and hate, lays sizzling out of existence–eroded away into oblivion, what’s left?

What?

What?

Who the fuck are you?

So now you’ve got nothing. No world telling you what you should do, need to do, ought to do.

What do you do?

There’s no acclaim. No fame. No recognition. No one to hear you scream.

What do you do?

Who are you?

Rejoice. I remember that song: T’ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it.

A small life well-lived. Soon I’ll post about a small life. A real exercise. No philosophy. Then I’ll post about a real exercise. One that makes your small life big and beautiful. Just the way it is.