A few days ago, I finished Amanda Palmer's book The Art of Asking.
It is not written too well. The text is not really one piece, but many many single pieces, sewed together a bit randomly, I felt, while reading. Though, they all point in the same direction. The language is not special, or especially good. It is the kind of language, simple, in which people talk about this and that.
All this was pretty much clear from the start. She is not a writer. But she is an artist with a message. This message is the point of the entire endeavour of her book. To bring across a certain point.
The message is something like this: You deserve to be loved. You deserve to be supported. You deserve to go out there and ask for love and support. You might be surprised, how much of it you get. Even from strangers. Even from friends.
The message is also: create as many random acts of kindness and love along your life path, as you possibly can. So it is a double message in my eyes: ask for what you want and need, but also give as much as you can. The world in large is also pretty deserving, first of all of your kindness.
Spread your kindness possibly every day, towards strangers and friends alike.
Also a few days ago, I read an interview, Maria Shriver did with Mary Oliver for O, the Oprah Magazine. Among other things, Shriver asked Oliver, what she had learned from this life. The interview was from, I believe, 2011, so Oliver was 75 at the time.
Oliver's answer was simple, yet heart opening. She said: I learned to love, and to be loved.
Yes, this sounds so simple. But once I started thinking about it. No, wrong! I did not think about it at first, because at first, it just touched some inner spot and tears welled up as an initial reaction. Than I startet to think about it. So many people (including myself) spend so much (too much) time with protection. It is so natural almost to build a wall around all the soft parts of yourself, especially around your heart and soul.
Reading Oliver's answer made me realize, that love is the only thing, I want to learn. There is nothing else worthwile the try, really. What you do along the path of learning to love and be loved is your life path. I mean, sure, if you rather protect yourself, that also results in a life path. But, I guess, what I want to say is: I'd rather want a life path shaped by my humble tries to be loving and kind, which does not come naturally, since as a child and teenager, I really started to learn to protect myself from all kinds of pain and misfortunes. As we all have. Maybe, this is a kind of riddle to be solved: how to be hurt and still not protect yourself. There is a quote by Rumi, I believe, and it goes something like this: do not search for love, but for what in you are the barriers against love. If you work on them, love will come as a natural result, from all directions. It can not help it.
He also, by the way, said: What you seek, is seeking you.
It is so difficult, to open ones heart in the eye of pain, refusal or even meanness. But maybe, only a broken heart can truly be open? So all means to protect it, are counterproductive, because they keep us from loving and being loved?
Back to Amanda Palmer: I started this article with the intention to tell you: well, do not bother, it's not such a great book. But once writing, the text turned out like it wanted, totally different, and it showed me, that after all, the reading of this book had been very inspiring to me. Amanda Palmer, and it is not the first time, that I notice it (see my other text about her here It is in German, though), with her person and her book, pretty much promotes the same message as Mary Oliver: dare to love, dare to trust, dare to be loved. Nothing else matters, really.
It is really dangerous. You will get hurt. Do it anyway.
If you alrady know this, do not bother to read the book. It is not written so well. But if you do not know this, I suggest, give it a shot.
By the way: I am in Spain right now, writing away at the wonderful Fundacion Valparaiso (thanks so much, for having me and thanks, Linda Laino, for telling me about it. She also wrote this wonderful text about her residency in Mojacar on her blog). So, expect to read more from me for the next two weeks. I have finally time to write again.
(c) Susanne Becker
It is not written too well. The text is not really one piece, but many many single pieces, sewed together a bit randomly, I felt, while reading. Though, they all point in the same direction. The language is not special, or especially good. It is the kind of language, simple, in which people talk about this and that.
All this was pretty much clear from the start. She is not a writer. But she is an artist with a message. This message is the point of the entire endeavour of her book. To bring across a certain point.
The message is something like this: You deserve to be loved. You deserve to be supported. You deserve to go out there and ask for love and support. You might be surprised, how much of it you get. Even from strangers. Even from friends.The message is also: create as many random acts of kindness and love along your life path, as you possibly can. So it is a double message in my eyes: ask for what you want and need, but also give as much as you can. The world in large is also pretty deserving, first of all of your kindness.
Spread your kindness possibly every day, towards strangers and friends alike.
Also a few days ago, I read an interview, Maria Shriver did with Mary Oliver for O, the Oprah Magazine. Among other things, Shriver asked Oliver, what she had learned from this life. The interview was from, I believe, 2011, so Oliver was 75 at the time.
Oliver's answer was simple, yet heart opening. She said: I learned to love, and to be loved.
Yes, this sounds so simple. But once I started thinking about it. No, wrong! I did not think about it at first, because at first, it just touched some inner spot and tears welled up as an initial reaction. Than I startet to think about it. So many people (including myself) spend so much (too much) time with protection. It is so natural almost to build a wall around all the soft parts of yourself, especially around your heart and soul.
Reading Oliver's answer made me realize, that love is the only thing, I want to learn. There is nothing else worthwile the try, really. What you do along the path of learning to love and be loved is your life path. I mean, sure, if you rather protect yourself, that also results in a life path. But, I guess, what I want to say is: I'd rather want a life path shaped by my humble tries to be loving and kind, which does not come naturally, since as a child and teenager, I really started to learn to protect myself from all kinds of pain and misfortunes. As we all have. Maybe, this is a kind of riddle to be solved: how to be hurt and still not protect yourself. There is a quote by Rumi, I believe, and it goes something like this: do not search for love, but for what in you are the barriers against love. If you work on them, love will come as a natural result, from all directions. It can not help it.
He also, by the way, said: What you seek, is seeking you.
It is so difficult, to open ones heart in the eye of pain, refusal or even meanness. But maybe, only a broken heart can truly be open? So all means to protect it, are counterproductive, because they keep us from loving and being loved?
Back to Amanda Palmer: I started this article with the intention to tell you: well, do not bother, it's not such a great book. But once writing, the text turned out like it wanted, totally different, and it showed me, that after all, the reading of this book had been very inspiring to me. Amanda Palmer, and it is not the first time, that I notice it (see my other text about her here It is in German, though), with her person and her book, pretty much promotes the same message as Mary Oliver: dare to love, dare to trust, dare to be loved. Nothing else matters, really.
It is really dangerous. You will get hurt. Do it anyway.
If you alrady know this, do not bother to read the book. It is not written so well. But if you do not know this, I suggest, give it a shot.
By the way: I am in Spain right now, writing away at the wonderful Fundacion Valparaiso (thanks so much, for having me and thanks, Linda Laino, for telling me about it. She also wrote this wonderful text about her residency in Mojacar on her blog). So, expect to read more from me for the next two weeks. I have finally time to write again.
(c) Susanne Becker
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