What do we do when when the world before us does not fit our unique form? Do we adjust to fit a container made by hands that are not our own? Or do we design a world that reflects our uniqueness?

Seeking always a point of origin that’s universal, I start my inquiry at the beginning of a human life. We each inherit a world that is a remnant from people of generations past, their views, their struggles and celebrations, not a world of our own design. When we appear our fingerprints are not yet placed on it. As we settle into the landscape some things fit and take form around us, they might provide comfort like that of an old, well worn and loved sweater. Other things seem to have been designed for aliens, these are the things that jolt us, tell us that we dont belong, or offend our idea of what the world ought to look like. They are many and might be as subtle as the feeling that something is misplaced or needs rearranging. I believe that this is a point in which time intersects, that of the past with what has yet to be. And at this point I can visualize a spark being created, an invitation.

What do we do when when the world before us does not fit our unique form? Do we adjust to fit a container made for another and by hands that are not our own? What if we allow this ‘poor fit’ to set us in motion to create change? What if we arranged the world to fit us? When I ask these kinds of questions I always listen to to the worlds as I say them. A ring of authenticity always surrounds the truth. “Ching.” Just a few months ago I heard a neuroscientist at a conference in DC speak along side the Dalai Lama. He described “not having a place in the world” or “not fitting in” as the source for the majority of what evolved into various forms of depression. Can you even imagine nature creating something that does not belong?

What are old forms but ideas that lived in contexts that have long since past? Lets face it, the world we’ve inherited was created by people who are no longer alive. Surely this world tells us a great deal about human nature, and the struggles, achievements and priorities of people of past and therefore it tells us much about ourselves and has value. But as I consider all of this I wonder what world might I have inherited if each life before me accepted their invitation to change the world to fit their form?

As I look out my window or through the window of my computer I find that commodified culture continues to invite just the opposite view. Branding, advertising, education and most employment environments tell us exactly the opposite “conform.” Perhaps if our ancestors accepted their calling to change this would be different? Surely the too inherited a world. What did they do?

As we set out to embrace change many challenges arise. Maybe one of the largest obstacles is the simple fact that we have only lived in one world, the one we were born into. How do we create a different one with no reference points? Perhaps its in the questions we ask? Are we asking “how do i become famous?” “how do I become wealthy?” or are we asking “how do I create a world in which I wish to live?” “How can I create space for myself while leaving space for every single other?” Beacuse as my good friend Tony once said “We reach satori all or never.”

This week I’d like to invite you to explore your own birthright. Ask yourself about the ways you have contorted yourself to fit in the container you’ve inherited. Look at a possible futures before you, one in which you allowed your ‘misfitting’ to guide you to change the world before you and one in which you contort to fit whats been given to you. What would those worlds look like? Then widen your view and ask, what if everyone made the world their own? Could you really settle for anything less?

As you consider making new worlds, you might fascination in one savant named, Gilles Trehin, and the world that he designed.