Episode 9: Searching for the 'Soil of Life' Known as the Comfort Zone
~Stop trying to bloom in the desert, and head to a place where you can breathe deeply~
[Introduction] Don't be fooled by the lie that 'it's the same wherever you run'
'If you can't endure it here and now, you won't make it anywhere else.'
'The grass just looks greener on the other side. Reality is harsh everywhere.'
Someone might throw words like that at your back as you try to escape. Or perhaps the 'social brain' living inside your own mind is whispering them to stir up your anxiety.
But let me state clearly: that is a complete lie.
The universe is vast, and the Earth has diverse environments. Just as tropical fish cannot live in an ice-covered lake, and water lilies cannot bloom in a desert, there definitely exists a 'suitable soil' for every form of life.
In Episode 9, I will talk about how to find the 'soil of life' (safety net) where you can firmly plant your roots and bloom as your true self after you 'escape.'
[Table of Contents for this Article]
'The right person in the right place' is an absolute law for life
Stop trying to work hard in the desert. It is not 'laziness' but 'intelligence'
The 'comfort zone' is the soul's charger
Connect by 'temperature,' not by numbers. A recommendation for small mutual aid groups
A new universe called 'escape routes' expanded by digital technology
A place where you can breathe deeply definitely exists somewhere in this world
1. 'The right person in the right place' is an absolute law for life
If you look at the natural world, you can see that every living creature chooses an 'environment that suits them' to live in.
Cacti hone their ability to endure drought, and moss quietly sustains its life in damp shade. Forcing moss to 'soak up more sunlight and live in the desert' is far too cruel and unnatural.
Humans are exactly the same.
Some people find lively competition stimulating, while others demonstrate their true potential in quiet solitude.
Some people feel comfortable being a cog in a large organization, while others want to steer their own course, no matter how small.
If you are suffering unbearably right now, it is not a problem of your own ability; it simply means that 'the current soil does not suit your roots.' It is nothing more than that.
2. Stop trying in the desert. It is not 'laziness' but 'intelligence'.
We have been taught to 'make an effort and bloom in any environment.'
However, if you try to bloom in a desert without a single drop of water while squeezing out the moisture from within your own body, you will wither away before you can ever bloom.
Effort is originally meant to be used to 'make the most of yourself.' Effort that chips away at you and wears you down is, from the perspective of the laws of the universe, nothing more than self-harm.
Deciding that 'this place does not suit me' and moving to a place with water (an environment that suits you) is not laziness or running away; it is the manifestation of the highest form of 'intelligence' that seeks to make the most of your life.
3. The 'Comfort Zone' is the soul's charger.
The phrase 'to grow, you must step out of your comfort zone' is often used.
However, when your heart is ill or you are exhausted, what you need is not growth, but 'recovery'.
Having a 'comfort zone' where you can truly relax and be your authentic self is essential for recharging your soul.
It is a place where you 'do not have to meet anyone's expectations' and 'are accepted as you are, including your flaws.'
When you run away, please first secure this comfort zone.
4. Connect through 'warmth,' not numbers. A recommendation for small mutual aid groups.
Within a massive, monotheistic-like system, people are treated as 'numbers' or 'functions.' But the soil you should escape to is a smaller, warmer place.
Someone who will rub your back and say 'it's okay' when you vent your weaknesses.
Someone who will laugh and say 'that's interesting too' about the imperfect you.
If you have connections where you can feel the 'warmth' of a few such people, you can live on that alone.
There is no need to oppose great power.
Those who have been hurt comfort each other and help each other in small ways. Within that 'small mutual aid' lies the true kindness of humanity and the real strength to survive tenaciously.
5. A new universe called 'escape routes' expanded by digital technology.
Fortunately, a new universe known as the internet is spreading in the modern age.
Even if there is no soil where you can feel at ease in your immediate surroundings, there are surely companions on the other side of the screen who resonate with your sensibilities.
Specific regions or organizations bound by old customs are not everything in your world.
Share your voice, connect with people who share your values, and create your own economic sphere. Such a 'new way of living' is open to everyone in this day and age.
I, too, have been able to connect with you through this article. This, too, is one important 'soil'.
6. A place where you can breathe deeply surely exists somewhere in this world
'Is there really a path ahead if I run away?'
If you feel anxious, please remember the vastness of the universe.
There are as many ways to live as there are stars. In the 13.8 billion-year history of the universe, no one has ever walked the same life path as you.
A place where you can breathe deeply and slowly.
A place where you look forward to waking up in the morning.
That place will begin to appear before your eyes the moment you decide 'this is it' and take a step forward.
Please be the one to save yourself, more than anyone else, when you are withering in the desert.
Gently lead yourself out by saying, 'Let's go to where there is water.'
There, a beautiful landscape that you have never seen before should be spreading out.
[Next Episode Preview]
Finally, the 10th and final episode: 'Returning to Yourself at the End of a 13.8 Billion-Year Journey'.
What does it mean to live in accordance with the laws of the universe? And I will deliver my final cheer to you for the new journey you are about to embark upon.