learn from your mistakes...

...we have all heard this right?
i mean, it's the basis of human survival. put your hand in the fire and you will pull it out with blistered skin and inevitable pain. don't do it again...easy, right? throughout our growing years our parents are constantly saying, "don't do this, wear a helmet, put your coat on, etc. etc.". and we act out the appropriate rebellion and through painful experience discover that they were, in fact, most of the time right. lesson learned. and those who didn't learn...well, that can be closely correlated to darwins theory: survival of the fittest (or at least those more likely to maximize their human potential). but there seems to be (as always) an exception to this intelligence. (i am sure you know where this is going)
matters of the heart.
there seems to be something missing in the genetic coding of the evolved human being that keeps us from making mutually beneficial choices when it comes to relations of the amorous kind. it could be caused by the ever increasing arrogance of humans. the more we have the more we want, the more we can make the more we desire different from what we already have. it's a cycle that has lead us to the desecration of 'family values', health, the very ground we walk on (or more appropriately all over). every year things get bigger (tv's, cars, credit limits, houses, the insatiable beast of consumption). what gets lost in all this is the effect that is has on our interpersonal relationships. the desire for 'MORE, BETTER, BIGGER!!' has transferred over from a capitalist system set up to prey on the weakness of the consumer. now we capitalize on each other.
as humans we have the desire to be loved or at least to be touched tenderly...even if we aren't equipped to love back. so we "borrow" so to speak...take from someone who is willing to give with the half-hearted intentions of finding, along the way, the means to pay it back. it becomes a habit. and we get good at it. like any game, when played frequently the technique gets better and better. we come up with disclaimers that give a false sense of vindication from any feeling of responsibility for our actions or the casualties that are result. instead of taking the time to develop the skills, integrity, space, and desire to really have a loving balanced relationship that initiates equal gain, we irresponsibly jump into relations without forethought for the quick fix...instant gratification.
there is usually a speech that goes along with this...that makes you feel as though you have done your civic duty...the disclaimer. we have all heard it and probably given it. sounding something like, "i am not ready for a relationship. i am working on myself. it not about you it's about me. i don't want a boyfriend/girlfriend but i really like you. and so on..." and this would all be fine if the next step was not first the kiss, the tumbling into bed, and the pseudo-relationship that is created. whoever made up the term "friends with benefits" was most certainly trying to justify actions of the specious kind.
you may be wondering, "what's the problem here?"
well...there is no problem if both parties are in for this kind of relationship. but the truth is there is a limit to the length of time this can work, if at all. inevitably one of the two always wants something more...usually from the beginning (and sadly it's more often the woman).
women have this strange idea that if we sleep with him and show him how wonderful we are in all other ways that he will eventually fall in love or at least get used to having us around and from this become available despite his earlier monologue clearly stating emotional unavailability. so we pose as the perfect counterpart, act totally okay with the nonchalance of the arrangement, and bide our time. what's going on in the mind of the man in this case??? well, he is most likely: enjoying the sex, soaking up the attention and care-taking that she is pulling out all the stops to deliver, and not doing much thinking at all. he gave the disclaimer...he told her straight up where he was at...so now he is free to benefit from it, right? well...if men were as brain-damaged as women like to think they are then yeah is suppose he would be free from any question of guilt in this case. but they are not. in fact, most men i know engaging in this type of "relationship" know exactly what's going on...even if it's only a little voice in the back of their mind. but it just feels so damn good and he can justify it because, again, he told her what was up...
here's the thing about the choices we make and small lies we tell others and more importantly ourselves...it comes at a cost. and no matter what your 'bank of justification' leads you to believe...your balance is never that high and the line of credit is low. in fact...when dealing with emotion (especially the feelings of other people) there is no credit...it's a 'cash on delivery' situation. and when you don't 'pay as you go' the debt you accrue comes with a seizing of property in the form of karmic retribution. and each time you revisit the same situation without the "lesson learned" the interest rate is higher. to the point where it's impossible even to pay the minimum balance and the karmic-creditors come knocking at your door (literally in some cases of the particularly disgruntled partner).
where does this leave you?? well...standing there with your empty pockets hanging out, looking stupid, with a load of unpaid bills in your hands, and probably a reputation that will follow you no matter where you go. all that for a little instant gratification...moments of pleasure at the cost of someone else. the price is too high to pay with irreconcilable damage that ends in a total loss...and the YOU are the only real loser.

letting go...

the phrase is defined as:
let go:
1. to release one's grasp or hold.
2. to free; release
3. to dismiss, forget, discard

perhaps it is a matter of perception but this seems, when thinking in terms of emotion, to be an improbable and somewhat nonsensical feat. yet this term is used frequently as a crucial step to healing from emotional hardships. especially when referring to relationships; the unsuccessful ones. the implication here is that something must be done.
one must "let go" in order to proceed. yet there is nothing tangible to 'hold on' to. so in a sense it is an idea that is fastened to...and how can one free or release themselves from an idea?? the desire for 'forgetting' or 'dismissal' seems to be a set up...one with a disappointing outcome.

let's break it down by definition:
let verb- To give permission or opportunity to; allow
go verb- To move or proceed, to keep or be in motion

here is where it starts to make more sense. the focus in 'letting go' is as stated above by definition, a dismissal, a release, a freeing of sorts. and in terms of relationships it is the act of doing this in relation to the 'other'. but if we take the meaning of the words individually and then place them back together, it becomes something different.
the phrase shifts. perhaps it is just my desire to keep all things in the positive...or to remain empowered through action that does not have the 'other' holding so much weight. the revision of this becomes about giving permission or the allowance to move or proceed in motion. forward motion.
THIS i can wrap my mind, heart, and any other necessary parts around.
within this structure it becomes clear there is no secret to "letting go". it is just being. an avowal to be in the now. there is no need to 'let go' of your past (no matter how sordid or painful) or speculate about the future. you now have permission to just move ahead, toward the things to come...but with the focus of your current coordinates. you can activate your own go button. here the 'other' becomes nothing more than part of the process with which you got to where you are right now, and in a sense gets amalgamated becoming unrecognizable as anything more than just that.
and the automatic trickle down effect is that without effort you have effectively let (in the true sense of the word) so you can now go.
i believe that we are always a fully realized culmination of our past, present, and future. IN every moment we are the essence OF every moment; those previously passed through, presently experiencing, and ones that have yet to manifest. and in light of this it is important to maintain connection with your whole being.
the traditional sense of the phrase 'let go' does not allow for this, but instead creates resistance within the self. within this internal tussle 'letting go' truly does become paradoxical. this seems counter-intuitive...not to mention ineffective and unproductive.
through integration of all things past, present, and future one can see...can feel the light in places that seemed shadowed by tumultuous affairs. the clarity of the self becomes present in the basking of this convergence.
you become like the river; consequently flowing and simultaneously present at the source, along the bank, and in the sea...with this truth the realization is...
you can only dam(n) yourself.