Be Like Water (Again & Always): The Power of Consistency and Acceptance

I was very affected by “Limitless” episode 6 when Chris Hemsworth spends time in an imaginary old folks home and gets to experience what aging is like. He talks to many older people and learns from them. He learns about the process of aging and also loss of health and loved ones. It was a tough episode to get through for me. Very heavy but invaluable.

Imposing your will on reality and the world. It’s what I’ve trained myself to do. Sometimes it’s a good first try for everything. It’s a good attitude to have as you have control or the sense of control. But eventually you have to accept the fragility of your life and world. You will age & you will lose things. So you need to also learn how to accept things. 

As the palliative care doctor BJ Miller explains: “Even as our body is maybe weakening, it’s opening up something else. And this maybe is part of us getting smaller, There is this room for us to get bigger in some other way. That’s when humans really shine when we come up against the limit. It’s a gift in a way.”

Chris’s friend Gary goes on to say: “It’s a kind of revelation that once you learn to accept things for what it is, you actually find something even deeper and more valuable.”

Acceptance is revelation. It’s about giving yourself time and space to have and face difficult feelings. The analogy is of water. We should be more like water in our life. Consistent, flexible and persistent. 

“Water:

• Can cut through hard rocks because of its patience and persistence

• Creates a new path over time to get where it needs to go

• Is soft but one of the most powerful and destructive forces

Now, when life throws obstacles in your way, be like water and either cut through them or form a new path that will lead you to your goals and dreams.” (Source: https://everydaypower.com/water-quotes)

Wise men from olden times have known this and spoke of this. Lucretius of ancient Rome spoke that “The fall of dropping water wears away the stone.” Lao Tzu of ancient China said “Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.” 

Yet it works the other way too. Against you. These wise men knew that reality, time, and death is inevitable; you can’t resist and just have to face it. Dealing with aging and death. It’s hard to think about. Maybe that is why it’s important to be present in our day to day life. It’s important to have a code and philosophy of life. Living well and appreciating the life you have now. 

The death doulla in the show said it so beautifully “In that life really does hang on a single breath. It’s there one minute and then it’s gone the next. And when its gone, it reminds me that I still have the capacity to breathe, and to live, and to be engaged, and to love, and to laugh, and to be joyful, and to wear color, and to hug, and you know, dance, and to live. To Live.”  

Something for us to ponder. Your time alive on this earth is so very precious, so do use it well. It is a well worn cliche but “Life is a gift so live everyday to the fullest.”