gods and gardens

Common knowledge has it that at birth, no human-being is born with a preconceived view of the world. We come proverbially as a blank canvass, and as we grow up and become socialised into society, we begin to develop idiosyncrasies and beliefs which shape our views and how we see the world.

The idea of gods and gardens is a fascinating and transformational concept, one that requires an open mind. Once I learned it, I couldn’t wait to teach it, just so it becomes ingrained in me - as the saying goes, “if you teach something you’ve learned, you get to learn it twice”.

So what are gods and gardens? gods are belief systems, they are things we believe and hold to be deeply true, that we cannot fathom or conceive a different narrative or reality. A lot (if not all) of our belief systems are completely learnt, meaning - “we believe what we have been taught to believe”. As a child, even before your cognitive abilities begin to develop, you are taught from an early age what being you means. You are taught about your culture/tradition, your language, your religion - how you pray, when you pray and to whom you pray. As such, it is safe to say that the belief systems (gods) that anchor how we think and see ourselves in the context of the world have either been taught to us or leaned by us.

The interesting bit is this, once we’re taught something and we believe it, we internalise it. The internalisation of an idea affirms such an idea as a belief system in the very fabric of our being. Once internalised, even in the face of evidence that suggests or points to the contrary, we hardly change our belief systems. This is how our beliefs become the gods that govern our lives.

Gardens on the other hand, are places of constant change and evolution according to seasons. They are places that require constant nurturing, watering, pruning and care. Any avowed gardener will tell you that the idea of a garden is first conceived in the mind and then it evolves over time before it matures into a physical space that can be admired and enjoyed. Paradoxically, most of us don’t approach life with the viewpoint that our anchoring belief systems ought to shift or evolve. Like gardens, our beliefs ought to be nurtured, watered, fertilised and pruned to suit the ever changing landscape of the world we live in. The idea is that when/if our belief systems become incongruent or non-compliant with contemporary times, we need to demonstrate flexibility and alter them.

The idea appears somewhat controversial as general opinion infers that beliefs ought to be fixed. But on the contrary, “Principles” are what needs to be fixed, not “Beliefs”. For example, a “Principle” is something like “I will not lie” and the underlining belief which supports such principle is that “lying is bad”. Hopefully, that example explains that what needs to remain a constant are principles and that our beliefs should and ought to evolve.

To illustrate further, there was a time when general belief inferred that one race was superior to the other. However, with evolution, we know today that such a belief system is archaic, immoral and void of anything that symbolises humanity and equality, but people believed it. They believed it the same way most of us today have beliefs that govern our lives that we’re adamant should be fixed and unchangeable. We fail to understand that all beliefs are a metamorphosis of ideas shaped by people and our environment.

Therefore, as you begin a new cycle labelled 2021, here are some questions to ask yourself; “what are the gods in your life? what are the beliefs you hold to be deeply true that prevent you from seeing life through a different lens besides the one you were taught to?

Remember - “A mind that is stretched by new ideas or experiences can never go back to its old dimensions.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Peace, Love & Light,