The Graceful Human

Hello there, graceful readers! It’s been a little bit of time since I last posted. I have not stopped writing, but sometimes I let my mind run a little bit too much, so that I end up overthinking my next move and then, well…here we are. Part of my necessary evolution as a human being is to not only recognize this flaw of mine, but to improve and become better. So with that being said, we are back on track! I hope that your holidays were filled with joy, love, growth and of course, grace.

We all should probably have some sort of idea about the story of the Pied Piper… you know, this one:

To be honest I couldn’t remember the full story, or what it actually was about before I began this post… and when I did reread the story, I realized that I actually never understood it since the only real time I heard it was when I was a child .

( Makes you wonder how many other meanings from stories from childhood that we missed huh)

Now as you have probably grasped from that summary, is that the Pied Piper was not only a *talented* musician, but a man that entered into a very basic transactional agreement.

I get rid of the rats = I get paid

Hence we have the idiom: Paying the Pied Piper.

Now, there are two very blatant meanings you can derive from the saying. 

The first, relates to the broader expression of

“He who pays the piper calls the tune”

= basically, the person who has the money/power ( both figuratively and literally), calls the shots. (True, but we won’t go into this today).

The second meaning is really what I want to talk about, which is the concept of accepting the consequences of your actions.

When we were children, we learned and understood the consequences of our actions through direct experience.

 For example, we knew that actively avoiding studying for a test could or usually did result in a low grade. We knew that touching something sharp/ hot can cause us to get hurt. We knew that shouting at a teacher can cause us to get in trouble.

As adults, however, we often have a more complicated relationship with our actions

It would be safe to say that many of us, as we have gone through life, understand very obvious and blatant cause and effect…we break a red light, we could get a ticket etc. However, what many of us dont understand or actually process, is the unobvious long term effects of not doing or doing an action.

You know, like when we suffer from burnout by neglecting our mental health or ignore grief so we end up with emotional dysregulation.

Of course there are developmental and other issues individuals face that would contribute to an their perception of consequences, but the truth is that most of us tend to understand, at least on paper, the consequences of an action, but we either try to justify them, or ignore them. 

Is there then a solution ? How do we just then automatically understand the consequences of an action and act accordingly?

Well, in life we are unsure of many things. There is probably very little in life, apart from dying and paying taxes, that we are 10000% certain of.

What we actually are certain of too, is

cause -> effect

No matter what we do, whether we feel ( or actually are ) right or justified, whether we know or think we know what will happen, every action produces an effect. We have to decide in our own lives, what chances or risks we are willing to take, and what actions or reactions are we prepared to have or live with?

When will that piper come to collect what is owed?

Our lives are ever changing, and we constantly experience information overload, so when we are able to go with the flow and take each situation as it comes, we can either make mud pies on that rainy day or make lemonade out of lemons. We cannot control every outcome, but we can be mindful of our actions and prepare as best as we can for any consequence that may come.

While yes, the piper will collect his debt for the decisions made, we can try to live our lives with knowing or consciously choosing what actions & reactions are worth that bill. 

It’s also not just doom and gloom too…we can also skew it positively. We take our health seriously? We start good habits? We are vulnerable with the people we love? We may be pleasantly surprised by the outcome and the Piper’s bill will be a negative balance.

Every single action in life has a cost and a price, so how much are you really willing to pay?