Embracing The Seasons of Life

 

 The cold mornings of December have arrived, irritating alarm sounds disturb your peaceful sleep. Half awake and half asleep you search for the snooze option on your phones, hoping to extend that period of deep rest. Nature too remains in a state of rest, after a year of growth and autumn of letting go, meanwhile the animal kingdom survives on food saved during the summer. Few of the animals are in a deep state of hibernation (long sleep), something a lot my friends may envy about them. In the above ways, each of us welcome and go through the season of winter, a period of rest before the new growth of spring arrives. 

Well, now that is the season cycle of nature, but what about the seasons of life? Don't we all go through the springs of new beginnings, success and growth like summer, the autumn of moving on and finally the dark winters of rest? But do we actually understand these cycles and their lessons? Or do we in the modern world try to live in an eternal summer of growth, and royally fail to do that? These cycles are present in each day, in each journey and finally each phase of life itself. It was in a resurgence earth festival that I came across this beautiful perspective towards life, and this blog post will be an attempt to explore it further with reference to our daily life. We shall also try to connect it to ideas that have been discussed here in previous blogs such as hope, self-change and working towards a better world. So yes another tea break with life to take a pause and explore life in itself!

The Illusion of Eternal Summer: 

The fast moving world around us teaches us that eternal growth and movement is the nature of life. It portrays a linear path of life that ignores the cyclical nature of all things. This is a dangerous and misguided perspective of life, for it simply is doomed to fail. The ever growing group of people who argue for never ending quest for increased productivity, or the flag bearers of toxic positivity are at the root of this misguided idea. Now why is this dangerous? Well, to put it simply, that is not how life operates! Every journey, project, relation shall have it's beginning, peak and down slides. And when people go in expecting success and activity alone, it is only disappointment that awaits them.

In life it is natural to have times of growth and productivity, it is equally natural to have times that call of rest, introspection and change! And it is not something you go though all by yourself, but something that entire natures goes through every year!

Autumns and Winters: More Important that you think:

In nature, the seasons of autumn and winters play an important role. Autumns are the time when trees shed the old, and it is in winters that the seeds of spring get ready. Sadly, many of us cannot see the importance of autumns and winters in the seasons of life. Human beings struggle with the idea of letting go when something has run it's course. But what we do not understand is that unless the season of letting go is embraced, the new spring cannot knock your doors. In essence if we keep holding on to what has passed, we shall not to be able to see the new. This concept has been discussed many time before in this very blog. The simplest example is when you are moving to a new place, if the entire time you are busy missing your old friends, you would not see the new ones who are about to enter your life. Think about someone very important in your life today, and look back and see that it was a change at some point, that got you to meet them. 

Now an important question may arise in your minds, does that mean we just leave things behind and walk away? Not at all! The wisdom from nature comes to our aid even here. The leaves that are shed during autumn are not wasted, rather they transform and become part of the soil. When a change in life happens, you do not walk away from anything, you just let it transform! In reality change is the only normal and through embracing autumn, life can become more beautiful than before. 

Winters are the time of deep rest, it is the dark phase of a year as the day becomes shorter and night grows longer. Most people view this phase in life as a waste or 'unproductive', well they cannot be further away from reality. This period of rest is as important as a spring or summer. It is in this time that seeds of tomorrow's growth gather strength. This time of introspection, rest and seeking helps one understand themselves better. 

If you are going through a time of figuring out what to do, a time a setback, a time of ending, do not worry and do not let it bother you! It is a natural process and the doors of spring are already open, you are just yet to reach them. Have hope and keep working, for you shall indeed find it. 

What does this Perspective mean for Life?

In the personal/internal journey, this understanding can have immense positive impacts. For one, the idea of embracing the time of letting go as a time for transformation and to look at rest as an equally important aspect can change our whole outlook of life. It is important to learn to embrace these phases to avoid unnecessary disappointment and sadness. This perspective can give one the optimism in the worst of times that the spring isn't far way. Have the strong understanding that you are not alone in this journey. I read somewhere recently, it was asked why be optimistic, the answer was that it feels better! In a world with a growing number of absolute pessimists and advocates of toxic positivity, it is important to argue for the idea of optimistic action! This idea indeed can serve one for the same.

 In the relation with the other, this wisdom is of great value indeed. If one can be empathetic to what others are going through, and be there for them during those times, it is the practical application of this understanding. Further more, this perspective puts forward the idea that all of us and nature are an interconnected whole, what can be more beautiful than that? In that perspective, it is your duty to work for the society and planet at large, for you are a part of it. One of the lines that is on my pin board in front of me reads 'You are not a wave but part of the ocean', it is from the famous book Tuesdays with Morrie. Recently I heard a talk where this kind of activism for people and planet was termed as a kind of 'sacred outrage'. Life provides for everyone, yet many in this planet are made to suffer due to our own kinds ways and actions. It is a duty for all of us to ensure that nobody gets left behind. All human made structures for oppressing another is against the idea of interconnected life. 

 In all these seasons of life, the most important take away is that we are in this together! And it is normal to have ups and down, be it in a journey, project or relationship.

Conclusion:

Is all of the above understanding really required? Well, NO! In reality life is simple, but sadly we are all too complex to understand it. These ideas and similar ones explored in previous blogs are needed to satisfy our complexity alone.

In reality the only idea required is that of living a life of 'love'. All the other noble ideas such as compassion, empathy, kindness, togetherness rise from that and that idea alone. Mystics have called this the smile of god on earth! Again we are making this complex, see we are complex not life. 

 Tea beak with life in itself is going through a kind of winter, a time of rest and seeing what is the path ahead. It has been 4 years since this blog began, never did I imagine that it will go on for this long. What is the path ahead now? Let us wait and watch. Several adventures await ahead, thanks for taking tea breaks with life and exploring life, hope, politics, policy and much more over the last 4 years. Ending with a line that has become a signature for all write-ups on this blog:

The Revolution of Love shall Win! 

 A big Thanks to my dear friend Riya Mankar for the beautiful cover art for the blog. It beautifully captures the essence of this blog. 

Thank You for reading, do share a feedback and give the blog a share.

You can find more of my works and poems here: https://www.instagram.com/sreesreshta_nair/

-Sreesreshta Nair (SN)