LEARNING, BECOMING, CHANGING, GROWING, AND MATURING

 “And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?”

-Rumi

When we hear the catchphrase “life is a journey,” the metaphor evokes thoughts of planning, mapping, departures, stops, and destinations. My thoughts about the journey, however, take the shape of describing that long journey into ourselves... how we are formed and reformed. We learn, we become, we change, when we grow. Then, somewhere along the way, we may approach maturity. It is, however, a cycle. We have never learned everything there is to learn. We have never become all that we can become. We have never changed to the extent that we are able to change. We have never grown to our fullest potential. And we certainly never mature fully.

Therefore, there is no point in our journey when we can truly rest. How, then, do we remain in solitude and silence, attempting to assess our progress?

12-Step programs give us a perfect slogan for this phenomenon: “Progress not Perfection.” We must be patient along the path to recognize our daily trials, and to work on our inherit weaknesses. At any moment in time, our intellect and our emotions wage the constant battle between rational and irrational behavior. We may be fine in the abstract as we consider such potentialities as conflict, distress, or personal challenge, but when we actually encounter them in real life, we are wont to fall short of our highest potential.

To quantify the effects of externalities on our real-time intellectual (rational) and emotional (irrational) reactions, we must consider how we are affected by our external environment. For example, I face challenges in my desert environment, and I’m able to meditate as I walk, or bike, or swim in a temperate climate surrounded by shimmering palms and majestic mountains. These externalities feed my soul, and as a consequence, my mind is clear to think and direct my activities and behaviors. A close friend of mine also faces a personal challenge, but in her case, in subzero temperatures in outdoor surroundings which, although beautiful, are impossible to directly encounter due to the climate. She, however, orchestrates daily encounters with family and friends around food and fellowship. Her soul is thus nourished, allowing clarity of mind to direct her behaviors toward constructive and satisfying outcomes.

We learn, grow, change, and approach spiritual maturity with every encounter of our lives. If we can accept the path toward progress as slow, nonlinear, and sometimes “one step forward and two steps back,” we will invoke the patience required to maintain a positive attitude and sustain a forward trajectory.

“By your steadfastness and patient endurance you shall win the true life of your souls.”

-Luke 21:19

The journey, after all, is not a sprint, but a marathon. And it is patience, in the form of endurance, that wins the race.

Can we endure all that life throws in our path? Is that what we are really expected to learn, in order to become individuals who can change, become ready to grow, then finally mature?