.png)
In high school, my brother was into heavy metal music and went to several concerts with his friends. I used to love busting in his room just to see him headbanging with his long hair to Metallica’s “One”. Several of those heavy metal and hard rock songs have found their way into my music playlist. These songs serve me well when I am doing more active yoga practices or traveling the long distance back home. One particular song, “What You Give” by Tesla, released on their 1991 Psychotic Supper album, particularly speaks to me:
“It’s not what’cha got. It’s what you give. It ain’t the life you choose. It’s the life you live.”
“It’s not what’cha got.” We so often get comfortable with our own circumstances in life that we think everyone’s circumstances are the same: the family dynamics, upbringings, economics, opportunities, and lifestyle. In reality, that’s not true. Not everyone has the same circumstances in life.
We really should look beyond ourselves and the immediate world we live in. We should open our hearts to the suffering and inequalities of the world. I tend to shield myself from the outside world—disconnect from the destructions and hardships. Years ago, I made that decision to avoid being bombarded and immersing myself in the negatively of the world. I didn’t want to live in fear. Perhaps, this is not the best approach since I view the world with rose-colored glasses. But it has allowed me to have a more optimistic outlook on life. As humans, we need to find that balance of compassion and empathy for others while maintaining the goodness found in all humans throughout the entire world.
“It ain’t the life you choose.” We don’t choose the families we are born into, where we are born and raised, our moral upbringings, or the early schools we attend. Yet, we do have freewill. As we mature into young adults, we use that to form our own opinions and make our own decisions. Life is a journey of discovery and choices. How we choose to embark on that journey opens or closes the doors in our lives. Those doors can be ajarred or flung wide. Those doors can be sealed shut or graze along the latch in uncertainty or opportunity. How we choose to pursue those opportunities influences what we can offer the world.
“It’s what you give.” We can give materialistically. But the greater gift is giving from our hearts and souls. We have the opportunity to give to others every single day of our lives! Who we are is a blessing and a gift. How we interact with people, the environment, and the world is a direct gift to others. Use it!
"It’s the life you live.” How we use our gifts, our talents, our ideas, and interactions makes a difference in the world. Each one of us leaves this world with positive and/or negative impacts. We make lots of choices in life. Many of our choices are wise, while others are less desirable. Just like the Taijitu, the Yin Yang symbol, every decision—good or bad—helps us to learn and become the person that we are.
I truly believe that everyone has gifts and the responsibility—whether we want it or not— to make positive change. You may not feel you make a positive difference in the world. But each person has a purpose. Your interactions, your words, your choices, and what you do is interwoven in the world. No one is disconnected. Every individual tugs on that web of life and cannot pry themselves away, no matter how much we resist those interconnections
Tesla said it right:
No matter what’cha got, you’ve got your gifts- your character, your dreams, your priorities, your work, your family, your friends, your words, your actions, and your daily presence. Take that beyond yourself, and go into the world. Give it!
No matter what life presents you, choose to live a life of connections—a life of purpose. Choose how you live!
Let yoga help you create that positive impact:
Comments