Plants are teachers, and in their immense wisdom they teach us the importance of cycles and how these are made up of moments or stages, each one absolutely necessary for the next to exist.
The orchid is one of the most appreciated plants for the beauty of its flowers, but at the same time it is one of the plants that teaches us the most about rest and the need to remain collected for long periods of time in order to later share the fruits of the rest. Despite the expectations and the excitement that it generates for those who care for these plants to be able to contemplate their flowers, there is no way to accelerate this process, the plant needs months to strengthen its leaves, its roots, its stems, before being able to create and share its magic.
Create: what a wonderful action, it is the point we want to reach and even more so in the midst of a society that requires us to shine, give, innovate again and again, be productive. However, what great pressure, and what conflict this desire to give can generate, without having time to give ourselves beforehand.
Byung Chul Han, contemporary philosopher, talks to us about the tiredness society, a society in which there is no time to get bored; Not producing, disconnecting from technology, disappearing, is defined as an act of selfishness and irresponsibility, unless it occurs within the allowed days and moments. A society that makes us forget that we need to stop and contemplate to create and exist.
At what point did we begin to understand agriculture and design better ways of planting? At what point did we begin to use the cycles of the moon to understand the movement of the tides and from there create schedules or navigation routes? At the moment when, after systematic observation, principles, rhythms, bases, cycles were deciphered, all thanks to contemplation.
Living through the cycles
In a sea of stimuli, where we receive information continuously, where we communicate with around 10 people during the day through virtual environments, which are more related to moments of distraction than construction, and where, on the other hand, we interact With different areas of our life, family, friendship, couples, society, ecosystem, humanity and transcendence, among perhaps other aspects, our possibility of contemplating disappears. The attention we put on everything around us drains away from receiving and responding to incoming stimuli, even leading us to such a degree of distraction that we forget to keep our own body healthy.
What happens to a juggler who has several plates spinning around him in balance? He must put all his energy, all his attention, to that action, taking care of each movement, in permanent tension, without the possibility of choosing another, more fluid form of movement. If your goal is to keep everything in balance, you are putting effort in the right place, but if your goal is to create new rhythms, movements, or relax and put some of your attention on something extra, then you should leave some dishes aside . The same thing happens with us, we need to slow down, put stimuli and situations aside and focus on what is essential. They have made us believe that we must be available to everything and everyone at any time, that we are multitaskers, that we are more powerful when we can do everything at the same time, however the result of this is exhaustion, emptiness and even loss of the meaning of life .
And yes, there is a power, which has been in charge of creating a system similar to the one illustrated with a wheel to exercise a mouse, or a carrot to keep a horse focused, keeping spheres of society functioning for its personal interests, without However, there is a will of our own, a personal decision for which we have a responsibility and can exercise to ensure that stopping for a moment, observing ourselves, recognizing ourselves, taking care of ourselves, is not a privilege, but an act of responsibility with ourselves and with the society.
The importance of focusing
There is a reality, we are part of a whole, of a unit and Only through moments of meditation, contemplation, or reflection, can we abstract ourselves to the point of putting the noise aside and connect with the essence of the life of which we are part, our other way of connection, the collective must then respond to a conscious choice, with criteria, with purpose, with kindness, in order to leave aside stimuli that arrive to us and that do not contribute to our growth, health, well-being and that of our community.
Nurturing ourselves with others is very important, it is even proven that People with larger social networks have lower risks of mental illness However, being alone, caring, observing ourselves, understanding ourselves, ensuring spaces for restful sleep, full presence in the here and now, training ourselves to be better caregivers of ourselves, will allow us to give and receive with the best possible quality. If we can intentionally pay attention to these activities, we will be able to recognize the way in which we are stronger, more capable, more powerful. If we want to contribute to our environment, we must be clear about what we are giving and what we are receiving, what effect we have on others, and how others influence us.
On average, it takes an orchid 4 months to bloom, and the beauty of its flowers will depend on the quality of the care it has received during its rest time. Not having flowers, not shining, not having something to offer, does not mean that we are dead, means that we are falling in love with ourselves, strengthening ourselves to be able to share the flowers later. Disconnecting and temporarily disappearing from the social world will not make us lose our value, on the contrary it will speak of our responsibility to take care of ourselves, and then, little by little, flourish.
Existence is made up of moments, of change, of transformations, we understand that these states of rest are necessary, but transitory, simply one more moment of life that allows us to recover like the flower, and then be able to share with the rest what we we have cultivated in our intimacy and expanded.
