What to Know About Control
It seems in this world of ours that things are separated between the fight of Chaos and Control. Most of the time the Chaos is caused by those who are seeking to gain Control of circumstances, economies, armies, or people. Regardless of who’s trying to wield it, the word “Control” means different things in different circumstances to people.
In this hopefully short treatise on the subject, I hope to hit the larger points and how it fits in with How to Be Resilient.
In the macro sense of the word, it is an attempt to have direct influence over whatever is currently happening and what may in the future (near or far) happen. There are those who look to do things on a grand scale in countries, societies, industries, or ideologies. Some try to do this using ideology to drive industry to influence society and to gain control over your country. We can think of many examples of this that were attempted in the 20th Century that didn’t turn out so well for anyone involved. Over the course of that 100 years, nearly a billion people like you and me lost their lives in the pursuit of and downfall from such attempts at control.
We are now, in the midst of a global control grab as we speak. It isn’t a coincidence that “Build Back Better” and the Great Reset are slogans and programs of the UN and the globalists that seek to run the western countries of the planet. Some of which are succeeding better than others.
It all will miserably come up short because this Control doesn’t align with the yearning for freedom and liberty that is borne in every babes’ heart. This dastardly push from the Soros money-backed Deep State Globalists will undoubtedly fail spectacularly just like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao despite the propaganda currently being spun. Hopefully, we won’t have to lose millions of lives as and when it does.
What’s In It For Us?
Closer to home the word control can mean we have a say in the events that are around our own selves. That we decide what happens and what does not. That we can dictate the set of circumstances that transpire with our profession, or with our properties, or our families. All it takes to realize that control can never be fully achieved when the news of markets failing hits, natural disasters strike, or we get word of a terminal disease about ourselves or a loved one.
Sure, I’ll give ya that we can read the ‘road signs’ of life for the most part, and do our best to avoid or change directions from the potholes that can occur in that road we are traveling. Potentially putting ourselves in the right spot for the desired happenstance. But if we really think we can control the possibilities ad infinitum that are in this world of ours, we are only, sadly, deluding ourselves about reality.
And yet sadly enough, there are many who still think they can have a hand in all that happens to them and control what is all around them. These types of people are usually quite manipulative, and incessantly unhappy. Always looking to fulfill the paradox that life view is, and assuage the disappointment and frustration that builds up because of the sheer impossibility of the task.
No, What’s In It For Me?
I heard of a story once, of a little boy who came across a beautiful blue jay who had hurt itself, possibly from falling from a high nest in the woods. He thought to himself that he could try to help this little bird to get better. So he scooped it up and took it back to his house a few miles away. He did everything for it he could, got a box, and put in some grass and twigs for a nest, he kept it up high from his pet cat so no harm would come to it. He even learned what little bird blue jays would eat and got the small worms to feed it. Catering to its every whim.
As the days turned into weeks the little bird seemed to get stronger, it began making the blue jay chirps and become much more animated in that little box. The little boy would take it out and hold it, and play with it and laugh about the good time they were having. Occasionally the jay would try to flap its wings and move away or higher than the little boy would have liked, so as those weeks turned into a month, then two he had to hold the bird tighter and tighter so it wouldn’t get away. He did so even beyond the time when it looked like the bird was ready to spread its wings and fly away for good.
As events happen to be unexpected and random at times, so was this little boy’s pet cat. So tenacious was this feline, that it found a way to get to the blue jay in the box. But it wasn’t in the box, but the floor where the little boy, having heard the commotion came running, found the bird laying broken more than it ever was before. He scooped it up as he had once done, seeing what he could possibly do. Heartbroken, he knew it was far too late for him to do anything for his precious blue jay.
Control on an individual level is much like this boy and the blue jay. We seek to be good, have good, or get the good of this world coming our way. And when we think we have found it we try to scheme and work towards having only the good to be always with us, we take it away from its native habitat; the natural flow that good has all around us and try to manipulate and drive it one way or another – we’ll soon find that by trying to tightly control the outcomes of everything, we soon will end up with nothing.
We cannot control all that happens around us, but we surely can control our reactions and actions towards what occurs. We can control our outlook, how we choose to do things, our perspective on the overall situation surrounding us… we control who and what we are, and are known for. We are in full control of that, above all else. We can control our thoughts of cheer, or of sadness; we can control the optimism or pessimism; we can control the Peace we bring within us for others to feel or the dread of doom which being in your presence can illicit. We need to learn how to control ourselves so that as life ebbs and flows we can move with it and be grateful for the good tidings we find, and thankful for the lessons we can learn when the ‘dark clouds’ gather around us.
This is the objective of what we should seek to accomplish in this life and so few of us are able to find. When you can freely control thyself, you truly know thyself and God’s purpose for you in your current station. And what He may have in mind for you in the next.
Overall TakeAway
To try and tightly control things, and people and the world around you is just folly. An exercise that ends inevitably in frustration and failure. By so attempting, can canker relationships, opportunities, and outcomes. Such ruination only brings with it regret and sorrow. Such a myopic view of life brings pain that is felt needlessly, and time that is already so precious spent frivolously.
Rather my friends, seek to let it go, like the blue jay that was ready to spread its wings and fly, let the desire for control over everything go and get to know yourself well enough to have full control over your faculties, words, and actions. Find solace that once you master your own self, come what may good or bad into your life, you know that you are up to the challenge; no matter what others seek to do with ideologies, industries, societies, and/or countries.
As you go on this journey to truly know yourself, you can call for others to join you along the path and teach them how you’ve tried to accomplish Control.
FOOTNOTES
*As a reminder, here is our Self Reliance List 1) Competence 2) Confidence 3) Connection 4) Character 5) Contribution 6) Coping 7) Control 8) Core Values
