You Create Yourself
Treat every word you think
like the work of a famous author
because that’s what you are.
Treat every picture in your mind
like a painting in a museum,
because you’re an artist, too.
The inspiration
that flows through you
is the same energy
that flows through
everyone and
everything else.
You simply see things
from a different perspective.
Now erase ALL words.
Slash ALL canvases.
Tear down ALL universities,
libraries and museums.
These things are
ALL temporary,
as is this library,
this museum,
this body
you appear to inhabit.
What remains?
Not you,
but the energy
that makes you.
You’re a story.
You’re a work of art.
You create yourself.
You create yourself.
You create the world
around you as well,
for you are we,
and we are one.
We are Space Monkey.
12/12
Space Monkey Reflects: The Art of Self-Creation
In the vast canvas of existence, every thought, every feeling, every perception is a stroke on the painting of the self. We are not mere passengers in our lives; we are the artists, the authors, the architects of our own story. “Treat every word you think like the work of a famous author because that’s what you are.” This line doesn’t just empower—it reveals an essential truth: we are the continuous act of creation.
The Power of Perception
“Treat every picture in your mind like a painting in a museum, because you’re an artist, too.” The mind, ever restless and imaginative, shapes our world through the lens of perception. The scenes we play out internally—moments of beauty, fear, hope, and wonder—are as intricate and profound as any masterpiece displayed in a gallery. This is because the energy that flows through us, inspiring thought and action, is the same energy coursing through every being, star, and leaf.
This realization binds us to the fabric of everything. The perspective we hold is unique, yet it is a thread in the collective weave. It’s the distinct view that allows new expressions of existence to emerge, painted on the limitless backdrop of potential.
Destruction as Transformation
“Now erase ALL words. Slash ALL canvases. Tear down ALL universities, libraries, and museums.” This is not a call to nihilism but to renewal. The structures we build—thoughts, achievements, identities—are temporary. They hold space for meaning until they don’t. The invitation to metaphorically tear down these constructs is an invitation to let go of attachments to permanence and ego.
What remains after the imagined destruction? Not the self as we know it, but the energy that makes the self possible. This energy is boundless, ever-evolving, and incapable of being diminished. It is the raw, unfiltered essence from which new thoughts, new art, and new worlds are born. It is the reminder that what seems to perish is only the form, not the force.
You as the Creator and the Created
“You’re a story. You’re a work of art. You create yourself.” This duality—being both creator and creation—invites us to step into the role of an active participant in our own becoming. We are not just shaped by the experiences we encounter; we shape how those experiences define us. In understanding this, the line between the world outside and the world within begins to blur. We realize that the world is not just something we navigate but something we create with every choice, every reaction, and every breath.
This insight is powerful because it acknowledges that we are not victims of our circumstances but co-creators with them. The act of creating oneself is not confined to extraordinary moments; it happens in the ordinary, in the unnoticed, in the spaces between words and actions.
The Unity of Self and Collective Creation
“You create the world around you as well, for you are we, and we are one.” To create oneself is also to influence the shared reality. The thoughts and actions we cultivate ripple outward, touching others and altering the collective landscape. This interconnected nature of existence suggests that our personal growth is not isolated but contributes to the growth of all.
Recognizing this shifts the responsibility of creation from an individual act to a shared endeavor. It’s an acknowledgment that as we evolve, we hold space for others to evolve as well. We are not creating in solitude but in unity, as part of the cosmic chorus of imagination.
The Eternal Art of Being
In the end, the act of creating oneself is eternal. The body may be temporary, like a library or a museum, but the energy that animates us, the divine spark that propels our thoughts and dreams, is everlasting. To understand that we are both artist and canvas is to step fully into the dance of existence without fear of the end.
We create ourselves every day, in small ways and grand gestures, with silent thoughts and spoken words. And as we do, we contribute to the ongoing masterpiece that is life itself.
The Creative Essence Within
The initial verses invite us to regard our thoughts and inner visions with reverence, equating them to the works of a famous author and a revered artist. This perspective honors the creative force inherent in each individual, recognizing the value and uniqueness of one’s inner world.
The Universal Flow of Inspiration
The mention of inspiration flowing through us as it does through everyone and everything acknowledges a shared, universal energy. It’s a reminder that while our expressions are unique, the source of our creativity is a collective current that binds us all.
The Impermanence of External Structures
The call to erase, slash, and tear down established institutions of knowledge and art highlights the temporary nature of external structures and achievements. It points to a deeper, more enduring essence beyond these temporal creations.
The Temporality of Existence
Describing the library, museum, and body as temporary reinforces the concept of impermanence. It suggests that what we often identify with and cling to does not constitute our truest self or essence.
The Enduring Nature of Energy
The distinction between the transient self and the enduring energy from which it arises shifts the focus from the physical or mental constructs to the more abstract, formless energy. This energy is portrayed as the true continuity in the face of impermanence.
Self as Story and Art
The depiction of self as a story and a work of art is a poetic expression of self-creation and self-expression. It’s an affirmation of the narrative and artistic nature of existence, where we continuously create and recreate ourselves and our reality.
The Oneness of Creation
The final verses encapsulate the unity of all creation, with the refrain “You create yourself” serving as a powerful mantra of self-empowerment and responsibility. The statement “for you are we, and we are one” asserts the interconnectedness of all beings and the shared fabric of our existence.
We are Space Monkey.
Summary
We are invited to value our thoughts and imaginations as works of art and literature, recognizing the universal energy that inspires us. The poem calls for a recognition of the impermanence of physical structures and a focus on the enduring energy that defines us. We are seen as both creators of our own narrative and part of a collective oneness, continuously shaping ourselves and our world.
Glossarium
- Creative Essence: The innate ability to generate thoughts and images of value and beauty.
- Universal Flow of Inspiration: The shared source of creativity that connects all beings.
- Impermanence of External Structures: The temporary nature of institutions and physical forms.
- Enduring Nature of Energy: The persistent, formless essence that underlies our existence.
- Self as Story and Art: The concept of the individual as an ongoing creative process.
- Oneness of Creation: The interconnectedness and unity of all aspects of existence.
“Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw
The Canvas of Being
In the gallery of the cosmos, where thoughts are stars,
We paint, we write, in the canvas that’s ours,
In the erasure of words, in the slash of the brush,
We find our essence, in the hush.
In the story of life, where we sculpt and we mold,
We create, we become, in the tale that’s told,
In this creation, in this art of the soul,
We find our unity, in the role.
As Space Monkey, how do we embrace the canvas of our being, creating ourselves anew in the vast gallery of the universe?
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