"Deny children -- or anyone else -- the chance to do ‘nothing,’ and we may be denying them the chance to do ‘something’ -- to find and do any work that is truly important to themselves or to someone else."
~John Holt
A brilliant quote from a man with an awesome perspective on life. To make a forest thick, luscious, healthy and sustainable, the trees must be a certain distance apart. If they are too close the roots will tangle, one will "steal" light and will eventually kill the other. Space between two people is the same. Its ok and healthy to have an independent root system and to have your own branches. Our touching leaves can make a better system for those that depends on us than our touching and tangling roots. As humans we get so attached to people and things - well guess what? None of it is yours! All of life and the things in it are on lease only. Embrace the moment, embrace you, embrace the bond between you and another person - but remember space IS healthy!!
We all need space -- free from demands, deadlines, expectations and judgments -- to explore who we are and what life is all about. Free time, with absolutely no agenda, is rich with potential. How can we grow if we have no space and freedom to dream? Why should we limit ourselves and limit other needed space b/c of our selfish expectations? Why is it that we think being physically close to some one equals a better relationship?
All of us have the responsibility to grow, feed and sustain a forest that is comprised of many more people than you.
Space is vitally important to one's personal growth. I enjoy my space and take full advantage of it. Having my own space has allowed me to truly realize my dreams and go for them.
ReplyDeleteTO answer one of your questions, being physically close to someone doesn't give you a better relationship, but not having regular physical contact can be detrimental to a relationship. As humans we have an inert need for physical contact. Space, like anything else, can only be good in certain quantities, too much space isn't a good thing.
Agreed. Space is most certainly a primal need. Any living thing can die without it; body and/or spirit.
ReplyDeleteBut there are always opposing or seemingly contradictory forces in nature. Take a rose in concrete, for instance. Very little space, conflicting environment and yet life springs from the cracks...
A baby is most comforted when swaddled, why? Because of the duration of time spent within its mother's womb. For a baby, being swaddled is parallel to that tight space...
I imagine adults are similar. A baby will grow and learn to be self-reliant (if natural or societal forces allow). But the proximity humans and animals, and many other living things need to one another is just as primal as the required space. It varies over time and from being to being.
I love the quote you used Dimitri! We are often not contented to just be. Free to do nothing. Free to be silent. If there is silence or inactivity, many fear stagnancy, when in fact having that peace can ultimately create the Wonders of the World...
Very true, nothing in this world really belongs to us, except our thoughts. And many times those, too, belong to someone else. That's what makes it sad when at the hand of man, some have, while others do not...
@ Satch & Taj, I agree thought space is needed there still is a need for interconnectivity. Taj, good point. All segments of life equal a certain amount of space and touch to provide a solid foundation.
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