The morning, afternoon and evening of our life…

“Thoroughly unprepared we take the step into the afternoon of life; worse still, we take this step with the false assumption that our truths and ideals will serve us as hitherto. But we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the programme of life’s morning; for what was great in the morning will be little at evening, and what in the morning was true will at evening become a lie” ~Carl Jung

At some point in our life the things that were truth when we were younger are all of a sudden shattered, and we can no longer believe in such things.  Yet we have attachments in our life which were created by our decisions and beliefs in the past.   These attachments may be greater in some people than the others.  Realzing the attachment is part of the process of allowing ourselves to enter the next stage of our life.

We must realize that we do go through phases in life, and it is okay to let go of the beliefs, ideals and practices that we had in the past, in exchange for what is now our new truth.  While it may seem valiant to cling to what once was, the act of letting go allows us to move from the morning, to the afternoon and onto evening of our life.  Age is not the focus, although there do seem to be general ages where people experience the need for this often radical shift in consciousness.  For some the morning ends very early, for others they may require a long time before their beliefs shift.  Some others may live much of their life in the evening.

Some people may find themselves wishing to move from one stage to another–yet this will be a futile endeavour. There is nothing to be gained by attempting to be in a different phase.  The person in the morning cannot force them self into the afternoon of their life.  The experience of life perpetuates circumstances where one realizes that their goals and wishes in the morning all of a sudden hold little meaning.  As the afternoon is embraced a new way of living is put into action, until once again the evening occurs and priorities change once again.

These stages are not about maturity; in each stage we must simply accept what is our truth.  What was true when we were children, may not be true to today.  What worked for us as a teenager, may harm us today.  What relationships we desired in our 20′s may not be the relationship we desire when we are 40 or 50.

There is a natural progression to life, for as we learn and experience our priorities will change.  Many people are afraid to embrace these changes that they feel inside.  Men often grow up with ambitions for wealth and adventure.  As the world continues to spin and the man experiences life along with it, some of these priorities may change.  They may not be removed from the list as life progresses, something else may simply become more important – connectedness, spirituality and/or family.   A woman may dedicate her whole being to her family, only to realize one day that her priority must shift back to herself.  Each person’s priorities in each stage will be different, and we can’t judge our past beliefs by our current ones, nor can we judge our current beliefs by our past ones.

Embrace these shifts.  Let yourself move freely from who you were to who you need to be today.  Ultimately, the shift will occur.  It is a stirring inside of you which cannot be controlled.  It can happen quickly, or we can draw it out not realizing that we have no choice but to enter the next phase of our life.  We have no choice at that point, because the choice has already been made – by each of us.  This is what we signed up for, this is what we have intended for ourself.  But in the midst of it can sometimes be hard to see.

Do not be afraid to let go of the past, for this moment has secrets to tell you.   It is my hope that you pass through the stages seamlessly (seamlessly does not always mean it will easy), and every once in a while take a glimpse back to see where you have been.  Others may experience a wall at each stages passing…you will climb it, but how long it takes you is up to you.  It is a choice you have made, “For what was great in the morning will be little at evening, and what in the morning was true will at evening become a lie.”

Embrace yourself in each moment, even if it conflicts with your actions or beliefs of the past.

~Cory Mitchell