Life isn’t a manual

Posted on August 15, 2007
Filed Under Society, Spirituality, Consciousness |

“Babies don’t come with a manual.” During the first few months of your babies life you will no doubt hear this at least a hundred times. It’s a bit of a meme - but it is also very true. Read all the books you like, they may well give you a bit of help, and they may well give you some good guidelines. You sure won’t have a textbook baby though. Life is a lot like this; we are educated from a very young age to believe that everything has its specifics, that everything fits a particular pattern - that a is followed by b, then c. It’s just a matter of discerning how it works, and then it all comes together like a set of miraculous instructions. Well, unfortunately (or fortunately as far as I am concerned) babies do not work like that.

…and neither does life…

Baby does not come with Manual

There are a lot of self-help books out there, that claim to miraculously change your life in “10 easy steps”. Or tell you how to become a millionaire over night. It’s not that easy though. These books don’t work because (assuming for a moment they contain genuine information), they are other peoples experiences and views. There is a reason that even identical twins don’t develop into the same mental and emotional beings.

On some level it’s nice to believe that following another persons instructions step-by-step will lead us to a life of fulfillment. Such a notion absolves us of responsibility. We don’t have to think for ourselves - we simply follow the instructions provided to us.

When you have a baby, the health service provides you with an unending supply of pamphlets and booklets. Each of them telling you want to do, and what not to do. What to expect and what not to expect. Erasing one thought at a time any considerations that may arrive within your mind through your own conscious violation. The moment the baby deviates from the expectations of the manual - which it will probably do on the first night home! - well, then what? It’s neat that most people don’t panic when this happens, because they simply know what to do. After all the human species were parents long before we had the ability to put pen to paper.

Baby Manual

Self development is a process of inner knowledge and inner awareness. Such information cannot be found in a book, or be told to you by any guru. Such things are only meant to serve as a guideline to point you in the right direction. Certainly the worst thing to do would be to follow any such things to the letter. How would the book know who you are inside? How would I know who you are inside?

We are all, each and everyone of us different. We have similar bonds and similar processes, but we have to find our own path. Some people have an innate ability to guide another person onto a particular path that serves that particular individual. Such Shamans, Gurus, Masters (call them whatever you wish) do so with one single understanding. It is the ability to translate universal knowledge into a language that can be understood by each individual person. This is what a guru should be doing when they are talking to you. This is what that self-help book should be doing when you read it.

Showing you the way to your inner path. Guiding you with the universal language of life and reality. This language cannot be written down because there is no literal interpretation of it. Only personal interpretations, which are unique to each individual.

There have been a few attempts at creating a truly all embracing version of this universal language. One of the greatest of which is no doubt the Tao.

Inner growth is the approach to Self realization. No one else other than you can see your own Self! Part of the process to finding your own path then, is to consciously take yourself by the hand - and watch your each and every action with awareness. That doesn’t mean write down what you are doing, and you don’t have to give any thought to what you are being aware of. If you are feeling bad and reacting badly towards someone, simply make a mental note that, “Hey, I am feeling crappy, and taking out on that guy.” This is enough to get that spark flying, and pretty soon that spark will form the light that helps you write your own personal manual to life.

Comments

2 Responses to “Life isn’t a manual”

Attila Borcsa on August 15th, 2007 10:31 am

Marcus,
excellent post!

I noticed that we kind of see self- and personal development somewhat similar. The owner’s manual to a baby is cool, like the one for my car too. Essentially I see nothing wrong with the idea of learning how the baby “works”. All sorts of “machineries” need to be learned first
When it comes to self development, it is (un)fortunately more complex. But I’m sure we could use here something like ‘An owner’s manual to the soul’ or ‘An owner’s manual to the mind’. Even ‘Self Development for dummies’ would be cool to have on the bookshelf.

All right, to put it more seriously, I agree on self development being a process and eventually you yourself are the ultimate supervisor for what you are up to on the inside. Where I see this differently is that I think there is a definite need for a framework. The nature of the framework varies of course, it can be defined in various ways. I am just saying that there must be one. I agree that the time of gurus is up, which I am not sure yet if it is good or bad. And also books by themselves don’t help you. But I can see the process unfolding only within some framework.

The “language that can be understood by each individual person” is not possible within the present overstressed usage and acceptance of lateral thinking. Maybe this is why gurus are of no use any more - they prefer vertical thinking, analogies, symbols, all on the contrary of how we all were taught, in the present cultural milieus.

PS: My baby is on the way, a question of days now. Maybe I should by one of those manuals right away
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Marcus on August 15th, 2007 12:11 pm

Thanks Attila.

My reply moved to: Balancing the Mechanics and the Spiritual

And congrats about the baby! Honestly it will totally change your life when he / she arrives! My daughter is 15 months old now – and she has taught me more about myself and life than anyone else ever has! Funny thing; most people want to tell the baby how it should be acting. So it’s pretty neat when you take a step back and let the baby tell *you* how it actually acts.
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