To Talk or To Do

I grew up being taught to veer towards action rather than engaging in too much chatter. Theorising and intellectual babble supposedly took us away from ‘real stuff’ which was to move and execute.

I have strong memories from my grandfather, who was the epitome of stoicism and oriented completely towards task orientation. He would call, ask a specific question, listen to the answer and disconnect by the time I would ask ‘and… how are you?’. He came from clear and strong focus on doing our work and remaining silent. The stories he told us were oriented towards lessons that would enable us to work better and the conversations needed to be purpose and task oriented. There was no time for ‘idle chatter’.

My father was a chip of the old block and action was how meaning evolved. His love language clearly was acts of service and words of affirmation came about without being said! He would go silent when the conversations veered towards theory and get stimulated with ideas that needed execution.

I have found myself dabble in both. My conditioning keeps me squarely rooted in the action camp but I have found that thinking produced through the theoretical search helps me get more aligned with the actions that need to be taken.

I found myself loving reading and exploring spirituality from a young age and being enthused by the musings of deeper thinkers like Gautama (Buddha), Laozi (Tao), Vyasa (Gita), Osho and numerous others. I found myself drawn more and more towards silent connection and being led by the wisdom from beyond. Contemplation and intellectual discourse didn’t work so much for me but being in the company of more evolved masters has always provided a deep sense of being centred and guided.

We (my wife and me) were speaking to a friend recently as we were in a stimulating conference and she said that she refuses to attend as she likes the idea of ‘doing’ and is rather sick of all the ‘talking’. This really got me thinking. In that conference alone there were so many moments of ‘aha’ and so many pearls of wisdom came to me through stories, ideas, people and their energy. There were some deeper connections formed new thoughts generated and old thoughts challenged or reinforced. Would I replace these possibilities for an alternate of spending my time taking some action instead? I dont know. But what I feel is that my life would be amiss if I was to not be in the situation that I found myself in and the people and thoughts that I found myself surrounded with.

These are some of the ideas that appear to me when I reflect between the idea of thought and action.

1. Let life flow through us: Life guides us and puts us in situations that are needed for our evolution. We have to let things happen and be guided by where we are being lead. Each of us may need a different situation for our development. We will be put in a variety of settings, connections and surroundings for our learning and we need to pick the cues and act in accordance with where we are being led.
2. Embracing the idea of surrender: There is a different sense of being that emerges when we let the ‘I’ dissolve. It is not about action or thought, it is about letting things happen through us with us embracing more emptiness. Our possibilities of ‘doing’ reside then in a more connected state and being driven through a force beyond our intellectual awareness.
3. ‘Others’ acting as conduits: People and ideas appear to us as we become more receptive and guide us further towards our purpose. We dont know who we are going to meet and how they are going to influence our journey. We need to make space for ‘them’. We are already on a certain path and our light is within us. We need reminders at times and those come through different situations and appearances. We need to let the ‘talk’ happened to guide us more towards ‘being’ and then ‘doing’.
4. The joy of connection: We are social beings. There is a spark that occurs when energies collide, do a dance and then synchronise. We dont know who our partners are going to be and how they will appear. We just have to let them appear. The appearances are enabled further when we put ourselves in conversations as words are how we interact once the energies intersect. I remember being in conference settings with a strong feeling that I will be meeting someone important and then being clearly impacted when the situation occurs. The joy of a deep connection is unmatched.
5. ‘Doing’ is magical when enabled by reflection: I have been learning more in recent times and letting myself be guided through reflection that came from ‘talk’. This has shaken my adopted state of reaction and forced me to forge newer pathways. It is challenging but also stimulating and rewarding. I see a difference in impact occur right before my eyes that would not have happened if I would have continued to ‘do’ without the ‘talk’ that led to reflection and then a different action.

It is amazing to see how a simple comment enables us to explore where ‘our truth’ lies at this stage of life and helps us explore the conditions that have created us and also enables us to accept our current reality to be able forge a different future.