After arriving home last night later than expected, there was a card waiting for me from my daughter and since she has been waiting for "Flamingo Friday" and my return, there were of course flamingos gracing the cover.

Inside there were two notes that she wanted me to know specifically:

Play with @smallsteps
Be nice to @smallsteps

Fair enough. We spent the small amount of time we had together last night eating evening porridge and playing Hungry, Hungry Hippos for a few minutes before putting her to bed. She woke up at about 4 am (I went to bed at 2) wanting me to wipe her nose, but went back to sleep til 630. Sleep ins are a thing of the distant past in my life.

However, there was another note in the card that she wanted to mention and this one was accompanied by a picture.

There are no dragons

She has started to get a little afraid of dragons recently as she doesn't like the loud sounds that dragons make, but dinosaurs are fine. I always find it interesting what scares children because a great deal of it like dragons are not real, but they have a very real affect on a child. As the imagination plays its games in the darkness, the monsters that reside unseen in the wardrobe and under the bed have a very physical reaction to them; palms sweat, hairs stand on end and the heart races.

Our minds guide our body.

It seems so cliche to say, what we think, we become yet, that is the crux of much of our life. Those who believe there are monsters at every turn, unseen threats and risk, become fearful, restricted, contained. It is not that there are no risks, but when one doesn't give space for the beauty of the world that lives side by side - a lopsided perspective becomes the reality.

It is not just children who are scared of dragons,many adults have their own beats to contend with, but in a world that offers a million avenues of distraction, how many go searching in the cupboards to slay the fears of imagination? Our imagination are tools that can free us from any prison, or imprison us whilst free - which it is depends on the control over imagination and understanding of what fears are risks in reality, and what are those that are illusions of the mind, even though they evoke a physiological response.

While we usually grow out of the fear of monsters under the bed, we create all kinds of new fears associated to our status, our reputation, our egos. I think that one of the biggest fears that many face these days s that of relevance in a changing world, a place where we have made the people around us disposable unless they can offer us something to keep them useful and needed. We have more access than ever, yet are more disconnected from each other than we have ever been.

While many might not recognize, I think that others are waking up to the continual chase of material things that never fill the void and are realizing that what has been missing is others. We are social animals and while we do not need people around at every minute of the day, advancing disconnection is moving us away from what our hardwiring seeks to complete its purpose, to make us feel whole - to connect us to ourselves.

Instead, we sit behind our screens as creators and consumers imagining dragons that attack our imaginary egos and reputations we build around ourselves as we believe that what we do makes us relevant. What relevance does one hold in the world through spurting words that do nothing to help or connect with others, to help us become whole? Empty words with no purpose.

My daughter is mistaken, but she will learn;

There are dragons

We all have them, only some of us will ever face them and a rare few will tame them and realize, the dragons of our past add to the potential of our future.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]