Issue No. 4Most of it is just climbing.

read on aceapolonio.com | April 23, 2023

Hi friend,

Why is it that before bed, we start thinking about the craziest things, such as where our birth certificate is? Sometimes we think about nothing, and other times, we think about needing $1 million. Our brains really fascinate me at times. They are literally just a chunk of meat enclosed in a hollow bone, yet everything that we are is inside them: our experiences, emotions, and problems. Everything we know about the world is in our brains, encoded in electrical signals. If the universe has no observers, it basically does not exist. It cannot be proven to exist logically; it exists only because someone can testify to its existence. For this reason, I believe that it's not that we are inside this world, but it's the world that's inside us.

Sunday Contemplation

There is a famous adage often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), which goes something like this: "Life is a journey, not a destination." You've probably heard this quote countless times, maybe even had it on your bedroom wall next to posters of One Direction or Avril Lavigne when you were a teenager. It's an inspirational, impactful statement that reminds us to live in the moment and enjoy the journey rather than focusing solely on the destination.

The problem is, despite how much we may admire this quote, few of us actually follow it. We read it, appreciate its wisdom, and then return to our hectic lives without making significant changes to how we live.

I believe the reason we behave in this manner is due to our misunderstanding of the concepts of "journey" and "destination" in the quote. If I asked each of you right now to explain what these words meant to you, everyone would have a different interpretation. For instance, some might say that the journey is the everyday life experiences and the destination is the attainment of a goal or reaching one's death. While these interpretations are partially accurate, they are only a small part of the overall message.

To me, this quote serves as a reminder that life is primarily a long quest for inner peace, a continuous pursuit of a greater purpose. The destination is reached when you feel that everything is in balance, neither too much nor too little. It is a state where nothing else is desired, and all that remains is a sense of tranquility and contentment. This notion is something we all know in the back of our minds, but tend to forget. Success is a rare occurrence in life, and our lives are akin to a series of mountains we climb. We are born into a family and then climb the first mountain, continually learning and improving ourselves. Sometimes we stumble, but we get back up and keep climbing. Eventually, after consistent effort and hard work, we reach the top and consider ourselves successful. However, this feeling fades, and we look around to find another mountain in front of us. We climb that too, and it can take many years. We keep climbing, and one day we reach the top again, but only to see more mountains in the distance. We may wonder when this journey will end, but the truth is that it never does, unless we decide to stop.

Based on what I've learned from observing successful people, they tend to lose track of their starting point and see their current state as the new beginning. This feeling creates a sense of needing to move forward continually, and many of them feel like they can never stop.Two stories I heard before that perfectly illustrates this unending chase for money or successs were the stories of Rajat Gupta and Bernie Madoff. They are two prominent figures in the financial world who were caught up in scandals related to their pursuit of money. Gupta, a former CEO of McKinsey & Company and a board member of Goldman Sachs, was found guilty of insider trading in 2012. He was accused of sharing confidential information with Raj Rajaratnam, the founder of the hedge fund Galleon Group, in exchange for financial gain. Despite already being a millionaire, Gupta's greed for more money led him to engage in unethical behavior that ultimately resulted in his downfall.

Similarly, Bernie Madoff, a former stockbroker and investment adviser, became known as one of the biggest fraudsters in history after orchestrating a Ponzi scheme that lasted for decades. Madoff promised his investors high returns on their investments, but instead, he used the money from new investors to pay off earlier investors. He accumulated billions of dollars in the process and maintained a lavish lifestyle. However, his greed eventually caught up with him, and he was exposed in 2008 when the financial crisis hit. Both Gupta and Madoff are examples of individuals who were already extremely wealthy but continued to chase money, demonstrating a lack of self-control and an insatiable desire for more.

The desire for success, in itself, is not to be frowned upon. It is necessary to move forward. However, forgetting where you started is where the problem begins because without a reference point, your life becomes an everyday struggle with no single direction. Choose one purpose, your own mountain, and climb it with all your might. If you haven’t found your purpose yet, don’t work too hard. You will only waste your time and energy. Your focus should be on finding your purpose. You do that by trying many things and often, failing at them. After finding your purpose, put all your hard work and energy into it. When you do that, you’ll know that all the suffering, sleepless nights, and pain that you encounter are necessary steps to climb your mountain. You will start feeling proud of your problems and suffering because you know they are yours and what will build your character. Most of the stress experienced by modern civilized individuals comes from the realization that they are working hard on something they do not fully consider their purpose. Take a moment to reflect on this thought.

If you visualize your life as a string, there will be only a few single points on that string that represent the moments of success. The rest of the string is when you were climbing. Most of life is just climbing. Success happens once in a while, but after that, we naturally look for more. Most people think of climbing as a punishment. They think they do not deserve it and yet, at the same time, think they deserve all the riches of the world. Then, they wonder why they remain unsatisfied and unsuccessful by their own measurement. They want the prize but not the challenge, so they chase the easier paths, the paths tested to be the easiest and safest to take. They haven’t trained themselves to take risks and discover what they are truly capable of. If it’s easy, it’s not valuable. If it’s not valuable, why pursue it?

Young people these days are impatient about the wrong things. They are impatient with climbing and want to be at the top right away. However, taking paths that guarantee immediate success can lead to some of the worst life paths to take because missed steps will come back to haunt them later in life. OnlyFans provides a good example of this. It is very easy for men and women to earn money by selling their nudes, and some have become millionaires. While most of them have good intentions and only want to provide for themselves and their families, the path they took is easy and can come back to bite them later in life. These photos and videos of themselves will be on the internet forever, and they cannot do anything about it. Perhaps when their own children see them, they will realize the consequences.

Young people should be thinking like this: be impatient with actions but patient with results. Put that on your wall next to your BTS poster. Think of life as a continuous climb towards your own mountain. Suffer on your own terms and own them. Your suffering is unique to you, and it builds your character. Once you reach the top, do not forget where you came from so you know when to stop chasing the horizon. Instead, sit with your good family and friends and enjoy the view.

Quote of the Week

“Most of the stress experienced by modern civilized individuals comes from the realization that they are working hard on something they do not fully consider their purpose.”—Ace ApolonioShare the image below on Instagram, tag me @aceapolonio, and I will choose one lucky person at random to receive a physical copy of my book 'Silent Contemplations'.

Mindful Reminder

Your youth is the most malleable part of your life. You can fail at things, and there won’t be any life-altering consequences. Because you are young, people will forgive you, and opportunities are created and prepared for you. Use this period to explore and find your purpose. Do not waste it. Do not fall into the trap of politically correct statements such as "you have a lot of time." You don’t. Time passes even when you're asleep, and it will not wait for you. I don’t mean to make you feel anxious, but I want you to put your focus on what matters the most to you. Eighty percent of what you do in your life is useless and has nothing to do with your mission. Save it for your purpose.

2 Lessons from Others

Maya Angelou, an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist, on what life should feel like:

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: 'Wow, what a ride!'”

Lao Tzu, a legendary Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism on how to accomplish something with patience and focus.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

Song of the Week

Miles Are Wide by Ocie Elliott is a reflective and introspective piece about the challenges and rewards of life's journeys. The lyrics describe a couple traveling through different terrains, both physical and emotional, as they work hard to reach their goals and overcome obstacles together. The line "We're not walking them alone" suggests the importance of companionship and support in difficult times.

The chorus emphasizes the idea of taking one's time and enjoying the journey, even when the road ahead seems long and challenging. It also acknowledges the fact that sometimes we may let go of our ambitions and goals, but ultimately we define what we have always known - suggesting that our core values and beliefs remain constant even as we navigate the ups and downs of life.

Meme of the Week

Let your friends join us in this journey by telling them to sign up for Sunday Stillness newsletter here: aceapolonio.comWant to sponsor an issue of Sunday Stillness? Contact me via email .Read the past issues here: LinkTell me how you applied or what you realized about this concept. I will feature your story next week if you’re chosen. Leave a message here.Until next week,

Ace ApolonioAuthor of Silent Contemplations

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