The Deeper Truths

One of the things that I find most fascinating about being human is how good we are at adaptation. Anyone who doesn't believe in evolution has their head in the sand. This isn't a statement against that religion or this one.  Evolving, adapting, is so much a part of who we are that to try and assume it isn't there is to deny us, and all living things, of our most primal and vital power.  There aren't many cosmic laws I believe in, but I know two two be true. 1. Nature always gets to win. 2. Adapt or die.

Now, as I've written about in the past, sometimes our capacity to adapt can get us into a lot of trouble. It's not so much that we do adapt, but that we alter the wrong thing and therefore do not deal with the root of the problem.  It's why people who don't have access to proper medical treatment will learn to walk with a limp. It causes them pain, but they can still get around. Once they adjust to the limp and the pain though, they tend to forget they still need the medical attention, even when they have the chance to make that happen.

When we really think about our adaptations though, and have the time to really plot out a way to improve our circumstances, this can be a beautiful thing.  It can also tell us about our true wants and desires.  This may sound odd, as most people believe they have a pretty good idea what they want/desire. Some things have a way of sneaking up on you though.

I wrote about how I've rearranged some things in my bedroom to make clothes organizing easier. Part of this was a culling.....I put away clothing I don't wear so I would have room for the stuff I do wear. Part of it was location location location. I moved all clothing storage to one place, so I wouldn't have to wander all over the room to put things away. Part of it was mental, as I made a rule for myself that clothing WOULD be put away on the same day it came out of the dryer, no exceptions.

So this new system has been in place for several weeks now, and I am happy to report that it is working. All my clothing is put away and in the place it should be.  I have a reasonably good idea of what all I have and when things might need to be replaced. Best of all, the energy in my room has gone from one of unsorted chaos to order.

Now this orderly thing . . . that is the unexpected discovery I have made in this process. I like order. I like structure and predictability.  Some people might believe this goes contrary to the creative spirit, but I do not believe it does. This idea that creative people are chaotic isn't always true. Mind you, the true test of the human spirit is how creative they can get when things get fucked up. However, when we're not in the middle of crisis solving, I believe most creative people benefit from an orderly environment.

Again, this goes back to Maslow. Creativity is a higher priority need. It's very much there, but other needs have to be filled before it can. Random noise, cluttered rooms, people yelling, people losing their temper, drama, money issues, etc . . . what do these things have in common? They suck your energy.  Even if you don't want to willfully get involved, the very act of resisting and ignoring the chaos can also zap your energy.

Now, when I was younger, I would have told you I thrive in the chaos.  I didn't. I survived it and I endured it, but I didn't thrive. It's kind of the difference between a flower that grows in a nice flower pot and one that has to push its way through the concrete. Sure, they both bloom. Yeah, maybe the flower in the concrete is stronger because it overcame such odds. It adapted instead of dying.

So yes, when I think about what I really want and desire in life, it is to be in a living environment where things are orderly. I want things to be in their place. I want everything to have a designated spot.  I want calm, collected minds that focus on solving one problem at a time. I want schedules and plans and enough money to know that my bills will be paid.

What is the best thing about this insight?  I think the simple answer is that it gives me a realistic goal. I want to live in an orderly home. Now what do I have to do to get there? I'm already making some changes to get me there, and more will come as the weeks pass. They'll come in layers though. We do, after all, need time to adapt.