Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of trusting one's inner wisdom, "The Wise One," for personal growth and decision-making, rather than relying solely on external advice.

Abstract

The text, titled "THE WISE ONE," advocates for the power of self-reliance in navigating life's challenges. It suggests that the answers to our deepest questions lie within our own intuition and imagination, referred to as "The Wise One." The author illustrates this through a personal anecdote of an impulsive trip to Big Sur, which led to a transformative life event. The article criticizes conventional self-help advice for not being personalized and encourages individuals to listen to their inner voice for guidance. It dismisses the notion of life hacks for significant life decisions, asserting that only one's inner wisdom can provide true direction. The author describes "The Wise One" as one's most authentic self, accessible through moments of solitude and reflection, and cautions against ignoring intuition. The article concludes with a fable about a preacher who misses the help offered to him, underscoring the idea that divine intervention can come in unexpected forms, and finally, it calls for a more open-hearted approach to life, emphasizing kindness, connection, and trust.

Opinions

The author believes that the best self-help comes from within, through one's intuition and imagination.
The article suggests that "The Wise One" is a direct path to wisdom and should be trusted as it represents one's deepest, most authentic self.
It criticizes the reliance on logical decision-making and common self-help tips for not being rooted in personal truth.
The author posits that significant life decisions should not be made with generic advice but rather by consulting one's inner voice.
The text advises that spending time alone and in reflection can help one connect with their inner wisdom.
The fable of the preacher and the flood serves as a metaphor for the idea that help often comes in forms we might not expect or recognize.
The author promotes a philosophy of living life more openly, advocating for acts of kindness, such as giving to the homeless, and fostering human connections by talking to strangers.
The article encourages readers to live life fully by tearing down barriers of safety and security, suggesting that over-cautiousness can prevent us from truly experiencing life.

THE WISE ONE

Feeling Stuck? — Here’s One Surefire Way to Get Unstuck Fast

The best self-help guru for you — is you.

The best self-help is often ignored by most people because it’s “only your imagination, your woman’s intuition,” or “It’s all in your head.”

And all of those things are true — It is all in your head. Use your intuition, imagination, and the wisdom deep inside to solve your problems and get unstuck. I call intuition The Wise One.

How does The Wise One work?

Here’s an example.

I decided to go alone to Big Sur on Thanksgiving week, 1993. It was a last-minute, impulsive decision. I shouldn’t have been spending the money. A week at Esalen Institute in Big Sur is expensive. I signed up for a five-day spiritual healing workshop anyway and drove down the California coast.

A woman in Germany named Marina signed up for the same workshop. We met in Big Sur and were married three years later — and we’re still together. Why did I go to that workshop? And how did I know Marina was the one? The Wise One knew — it was sure.

Learn to listen to your inner voice.

The Wise One doesn’t diddle with tips and hacks — it goes straight to the heart of the matter. The Wise One took me to Big Sur for a workshop, and it turned my life upside down — in a good way. I‘ve learned to place my trust in The Wise One. I trust it is not malicious and that it will not harm me. Why?

Because The Wise One is me — my deepest, most authentic self. Have respect for your Wise One, for it is the direct path to wisdom.

We Often Get Stuck In Life

Should I stay or should I go?
Should I say yes, or should I say no?
Should I go to college or travel in Europe for a year?
Should I take the job in finance or the one in marketing?

Yes/no, decisions like these can have enormous consequences. Yet often, we cling to conventional, logical decision-making and end up merely re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

I Googled “How to get unstuck” and found articles like this one from a LifeHack website. To get unstuck, it recommended:

Set goals that matter.
Control your mindset.
Get out of your comfort zone.
Let go of what’s no good.

These ideas are logical, common-sense suggestions, but they have one flaw. They are not your decisions. They don’t come from your heart. This is the fatal flaw in most self-help advice — it’s coming from someone else’s heart.

Applying life hacks to questions like, “What should I do with my one precious life?” is useless. The Wise One is the only one who knows what You should do. But The Wise One is buried so deeply beneath the thousands of random, contradictive thoughts buzzing like a bee hive in your mind you seldom make contact with it.

The spiritual seeker is often depicted as making a long, arduous climb up a mountain to find the wise, old, bearded hermit living in a simple hut to ask him, “What is the meaning of life?” You don’t have to travel to China to find that bearded hermit — it is with you now. It is your authentic self, The Wise One inside you.

You can find the Wise One on your knees digging, pruning, and planting in your garden. You can find it sitting still and observing the thoughts streaming through your consciousness until your mind gets quiet and you catch a glimpse of the wise old hermit.

The wise one will often rise up and speak to you on a run or a long walk. Or in the shower. Start spending more time alone, and you’ll bump into The Wise One more often. I often ask for help from The Wise One in the middle of the night when I’m in bed. Or, in the first moments after I wake up, I talk to him. The Wise One is always there.

The hardest thing to do is to recognize the voice of The Wise One when it speaks. Often, there’s no obvious message. I was once in a workshop, and a woman there seemed interested in me.

I could have shrugged my shoulders and gone on about my business. If she tossed me another clue and I ignored it, I might have left Big Sur alone, oblivious to the beautiful life I had missed because I didn’t trust The Wise One.

Pay close attention to everything that happens to you. Assume there are no coincidences. Ignore your intuition at your peril.

Two Boats and a Helicopter

A storm descends on a small town, and the downpour soon becomes a flood. As the waters rise, the local preacher kneels in prayer on the church porch, surrounded by water. By and by, one of the townsfolk comes up the street in a canoe.

“Better get in, Preacher. The waters are rising fast.”

“No,” says the preacher. “I have faith in the Lord. He will save me.”

Still, the waters rise. Now, the preacher is up on the balcony, wringing his hands in supplication, when another guy zips up in a motorboat.

“Come on, Preacher. We need to get you out of here. The levee’s gonna break any minute.”

Once again, the preacher is unmoved. “I shall remain. The Lord will see me through.”

After a while the levee breaks, and the flood rushes over the church until only the steeple remains above water. The preacher is up there, clinging to the cross, when a helicopter descends out of the clouds, and a state trooper calls down to him through a megaphone.

“Grab the ladder, Preacher. This is your last chance.”

Once again, the preacher insists the Lord will deliver him.

And, predictably, he drowns.

A pious man, the preacher goes to heaven. After a while, he gets an interview with God, and he asks the Almighty, “Lord, I have unwavering faith in you. Why didn’t you deliver me from that flood?”

God shakes his head. “What did you want from me? I sent you two boats and a helicopter.”

A word to the wise from the Wise One

You have always been told, “Don’t talk to strangers.” You’ve been told to watch for pickpockets in a tourist area, and fences make the best neighbors. Trust but verify. Always hedge your bets. Better safe than sorry. Blah, blah, blah. Don’t give money to homeless people because they will buy alcohol with it.

Baloney!

Please give money to homeless people so they can buy something to drink or buy a meal. The kindness of giving is the point. And give thanks that you’re not in their shoes.

Talk to strangers every chance you get. Listen to their wisdom and give them yours. Love your enemies, care for the poor, respect your elders, and be your brother’s keeper.

Be careful in tourist areas in Brazil and Paris, but for God’s sake, don’t be constantly clutching your purse or patting your hip pocket. Your worries will attract pickpockets like flies to honey.

Tear down your fences, trust everyone, and don’t make a fetish of safety and security. When in New York, drive like a New Yorker, not like a little old lady from Pasadena.

Live a little, okay?

The Wise One January 2023

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