The Path of Life

Down in the Sea of Angels by Bay Area author Khan Wong is a book that I’m currently reading. It has a hipster George Orwell '1984'-ish dystopia vibe that feels quite relatable to the present world events. 

It’s an engaging mix of three different time periods in San Francisco, California (2106, 2006, and 1906) with the characters going through various forms of an existential crisis. For one person, there's dissatisfaction despite having ‘a comfortable life.' For another, there's disgust and outrage being bound by the norms of an era. 

It brings up a soul searching question that we can all consider with our own lives. “Is this how I’m meant to experience life? Are we all playing a role, and for whom? What free will and autonomy do I have? Who and what do we give power to?

I think about my own ancestors, the generations who came before me, and how they lived their lives. What was the good, the bad, the ugly? Who were the good, the bad, the ugly? 

I imagine my soul, having already experienced several incarnations, saying, “Look, we’re all timeless energy, but how many times do we need to go through this human experience to evolve within ourselves and as a humanity?”

We come back into a new life to create more peace in the world, not to fall back into old trauma patterns. But change can be hard even when we know it is out of more love for ourselves. It can be wobbly, effortful, and a long journey before finding more stable ground. 

We can take the gifts of our life— any privileges we are born into, advantages that our ancestors didn’t have, and the natural resources that our ancestors used— to keep moving forward. Here's to "A Better Tomorrow Yesterday Now" (the name of a Burning Man camp from the book).

What is within you and around you that you are committed to change? However small or big, there is always a ripple effect with our energy, thoughts, words, and actions.