No One Is Coming To Save You

To quote the ever-inspiring Eckhart Tolle:

Death is a stripping away of all that is not you. The secret of life is to “die before you die” — and find out there is no death.

I never attributed power to words before. Sure I loved to read as a child; the captivation between every page, the surprises awaiting me as I turned, they served a purpose. They were an escape. But as I got older, I realised I can’t escape problems, I need to face them head on. To me, strength was always physical.

Now, I believe that strength is absolute. Strength is the only thing I can find truth in; I find my purpose in my provision. The acceptance of the directionless man is the biggest mistake of modern society. Without a strong body, a stronger mind and an even stronger will, how can you save yourself? How can you fulfil your potential? How can you make the scared, hurt and unsatisfied child locked inside you content? How can you heal?

A Strong Body is a Useless Vessel Without an Even Stronger Mind

Between the ages of 14–20, I was in a dark place mentally. I was hurt, and to fix my hurt, I felt it appropriate to hurt others. Not just physically, but I attempted to heal at the cost of putting others through similar misery. There were thoughts of taking my own life, that I hated myself, that I didn’t even know what the point or purpose of me being here was.

At 21, I’m proud to say I found that purpose. My life does not need to be a conveyor belt to self destructive behaviours. My actions do not need to foster hurt. My path does not need to be one of violence. People always say ‘life is what you make of it,’ and I’ve finally grasped that concept. Life is meaningful with purpose. No one will save you by giving you that purpose. You must find it within yourself.

Once you understand only you can help yourself, you begin to understand true strength. It isn’t your impressive bicep curl, or your underwhelming squat because you ‘accidentally’ missed your last 3 month’s worth of leg sessions; strength is found in clarity. Strength leads to decisive actions. A strong man cannot be a directionless man, as they are positioned solely to provide for themselves. Meeting needs goes further than one’s own person, true strength is characterised by the ability to see and provide for those you care about, and those in need of aid.

Buddhist ideals of dukkha and tanha summarise this ideal perfectly. Suffering, or dukkha, is caused as a direct consequence of desire, tanha. Instead of focusing on detachment, I provide an alternative, one fostered in strength. By eliminating desire, and focusing solely on need, you can reduce the pain and hurt your actions cause. And without clarity, and by extension, strength, to separate needs and desires, you are destined to carry that cycle of pain forward

Locke said it best, you must die before you die. The person you must be cannot be the person you are. Progression is constant, and it takes a strong level of introspection to find out which thoughts are unhealthy, which ideals are holding you back and how far you as a person are hindering your own successes.

Hegel classified this process in his work, Phenomenology of Spirit, his analytical Holy Trinity of sorts allowing for the self reflection and growth the modern man lacks. We take this one step further. Destruction is brought about when the same clarity that illuminates purpose shows our own shortcomings. Destruction clears away your shortcomings, your weaknesses and leaves you stronger, more able to provide for the needs of yourself and others. Growth is not singular in nature, but a process that requires an ever-evolving person to fit an ever-evolving set of needs. This is the beauty of creation.

By accepting the cyclical nature of destruction and creation, you can find stability in growth. Instead of fearing change, or running from it, recognise that each cycle brings you closer to your absolute strength.

Cast your mind back to the directionless 18 year old version of me. How different were the set of morals he lived by and the set of morals to me now? Honestly, and sadly, not at all. He knew the behaviours he engaged in were immoral, but did them all the same. That, perhaps, is the most tragic beauty of the human condition.

We are free to act in whatever way we want. Most of the time, that comes at the cost of other people.

Jean-Paul Sartre once called humans ‘condemned to be free’ however freedom need not be a prison. Through freedom, and the discovery of one’s purpose, one can foster their own morality, and as such a guiding set of beliefs, grounded in strength, clarity and provision. Contribute to society with ethically just behaviours, cooperate with others to foster personal relationships of mutual benefit and build collective strength by fulfilling your own personal needs whilst also bearing into consideration how your actions help meet the needs of others.

Praxis Aeternus is a way for me to intellectualise and classify my thoughts. Writing, to me, is the most effective way to not just legitimise my way of thinking but allow myself to easily create a timeline of progression and development for future versions of myself to come back on.

I won’t develop by trying to find myself through the lens of someone else, only by examining myself as me.

And by extension, if I can give that clarity to someone else by reading my mindset, then I’ve found the absolute strength I yearn for as a result of my provision onto others. I’ve lived what I write. I’ve practised my Praxis

I won’t be the next Eckhart Tolle. I won’t be the next Albert Camus. I won’t be the next Ayn Rand.

But I will be the first, and only, me.

And the responsibility lies with me to make sure that’s enough.

And that means you will be the first, and only, you. So if there’s only one of you and if no one can help you but yourself then you have found your true purpose in life. Congratulations.

Look deep within yourself, figure out not what you want, but what you need, and live a life of peace and clarity, content in your purpose of provision. Care for others as extensions of yourself, and cultivate a community based on this strength.

So, to answer the question, why? Because quite simply, if not me, who else?

Si je ne le fais pas, qui le fera?

If I don’t save myself, no one will.