...on knowing!

My dearest readers,

now that I have arrived in Los Angeles after a hell of a journey and getting infinite glimpses into my past and future I want to further evaluate on the final quote of the previous post, and in particular shift from “seeing” to “knowing,” because are we not going through so much in life just to be able and willing to know? What do you know? Let me show you what I know…

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do,” a quote at large attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, encourages us to not only know and be determined but also to put our knowledge into action. How good is wisdom, if we keep it to ourselves? How good is our persistent drive, if we don’t go out there and do something with it?

Sometimes, however, we don’t want to know, but in any way we shall bear in mind that it is always better to know than not to know. In order to do something in our lives we must know who we are and where we are in life, and we must face it, not just ourselves, but everything that comes with it. We must be aware, vigilant, awake, and we must be willing to accept our reality. Many of us tend to run from the truth, because it may be painful and bring forth gruesome discoveries, but let me remind you that the bitterest truth is better than the sweetest lie. You may be able to lie to others, but you shall not lie to yourself.

Be aware of who you are, know who you are, and deal with your concerns and fears, for then you will also discover your passions and strengths. And once you discover those you can take it from there and let this “knowing” about yourself be the can opener to and in your life.

When you know who you are and what your share in life is, is it not only a matter of time, a matter of you living it and how you’re willing to do so? Make it worth it, be eager to learn and know more with each day passing. “A man,” writes Yevgeny Zamyatin, “is like a novel: until the very last page you don’t know how it will end. Otherwise it wouldn’t be worth reading.” Keep up the tension on each page, and unfold a spiral of knowing and doing until you reach the final page. And what comes out is an autobiography that reads as a bestselling novel. Then you not only see, but know, you not only know, but apply; generally speaking: you live!

And let me ask you: What do you know about it? I guess enough to start living your life as though the next page could be the last. Why not make every day a spectacular sensation, a stunning, vertiginous ride that you enjoy just as much as others reading or hearing about it? But don’t live just because you want to write a story, write it because that is who you are. You know it. And in the midst of all of this you also know that you must be on your limit and stay there, because “[s]uccess comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming” (John Wooden). Live life, and be the best “you” that you can possibly be, then, and just then, you shall know that you’re doing something right, well, not something, but everything, well, not everything, really, but something fundamental and sufficient, as far as I know, that makes you capable and eligible to know how to live and shape and manage and eventually master your life.