Fully alive

Let me explain that with a metaphor. We have heard in some sci-fi and war movies the recorded voice from a ship’s control panel saying, “all systems are fully operational”. But we have also seen thrilling movie scenes when only a percent of the systems was working, and the hero or heroine had to manage through and save the day with whatever he or she got.

Although we think of ourselves as having five senses and a capable body of bones and muscles, the reality is that we have far more mental, physical and spiritual capabilities than we care to realize. Sadly, but bravely, we manage through with only a percent of our potential, most of the time. On occasion, an individual achieves that point when “all systems are fully operational”, and even less frequently a team achieves that. I saw that in some sports games. It is like the players are reading each other’s minds, one completes the other almost without thinking. Oh, those are beautiful ball games to watch! It appears to the observer that luck conspire in their favor. The truth is though, that when we feel lucky, we really are operating at a higher level, using more of ourselves, including gifts that we were not fully aware of. 

Think of a surgeon “miraculously” saving a life in a surgical room where simply everything seems to work exactly right, a repair technician finding a novel and effective solution to a problem that seemed unsolvable, a customer service representative that wisely pushed the limits to find an unlikely yet perfect solution to a customer’s dilemma or a work team breaking through something extraordinary in their work.

In conclusion, being alive, fully alive I mean, is when we are entirely there, flowing naturally but completely in that experience. To be fully alive, with “all systems fully operational”, would be something that we can learn? Well, this is ofttimes something we “un-learn”, but yes, we can learn, most definitely yes!

Paulo Mottola Oliveira