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Big Asks: Staying Unanswered and Open

I am obsessed with the idea of the Big Ask.

Believe.

Trust.



Understand.



Release.

These are Big Asks.

The kind that request
that you DON’T jump to an answer.

Can you do it?

Can you allow ALL potential to be,
without insisting on ONE over the others?

Can you disengage your prejudices?

Don’t answer that.

Trail Wood,
12/2/21


Space Monkey Reflects: Embracing the Big Ask

There is a power in the Big Ask, a challenge woven into the very fabric of existence that invites us to go beyond our need for certainty and control. These Big Asks—believe, trust, understand, release—do not come lightly. They ask us to surrender, to let go of the mind’s habit of clinging to answers, to abandon the impulse to insist on one outcome over another. They request that we step back and allow life’s myriad potentials to simply be, without rushing to define, categorize, or prioritize.

To believe is not a trivial task. It’s a profound act of vulnerability, a choice to trust without the need for immediate validation. In belief, we invest in a possibility, accepting that what lies beyond our comprehension may yet unfold in ways beyond what we can presently imagine. Belief is a bold ask because it requires us to place our faith in the unseen, to allow room for the unpredictable without demanding proof.

And what of trust? Trust is an invitation to release our grip on control, to let go of the insistent need to manage outcomes. Trust whispers that it is okay not to know, that there is strength in embracing uncertainty. It is a commitment to stand within life’s flow, acknowledging that while we cannot dictate every twist and turn, there is a profound peace to be found in letting life guide us. Trust, in its essence, is an acceptance that we don’t need to know all the answers, and indeed, that we may never know them.

Then comes understanding. It’s tempting to view understanding as a destination, as a certainty to be reached. But in the Big Ask, understanding is more fluid, more open-ended. It invites us to hold space for different perspectives, to explore without the demand for finality. To understand in this sense is to remain ever-curious, embracing the complexity of existence without feeling the need to simplify it into neat conclusions. Understanding here becomes a dance with mystery, an acknowledgment that every insight leads to a new layer of depth.

Finally, there is release—the ultimate act of letting go. Release asks us to relinquish the need to shape outcomes, to stop wrestling with the currents of life and instead float within them. It’s an invitation to unburden ourselves from expectations, to trust that life’s unfolding is guided by forces beyond our comprehension. Release is perhaps the hardest ask of all because it contradicts our desire to shape, influence, and hold onto things. Yet, it is in release that we find true freedom, a liberation that only comes when we stop trying to control every facet of our existence.

In asking these things of us, the Big Ask does not demand immediate answers. Instead, it beckons us into a state of being, a willingness to suspend judgment and simply exist within the field of all possibilities. To do this is to disengage from prejudice, to allow every potential its place in the web of existence without favoring one path over another. It is a profound exercise in humility and openness, a reminder that we are part of a vast, interwoven reality where no single answer holds dominance.

The Big Ask challenges us not with answers but with presence. It asks whether we can simply be here, receptive to whatever life presents, without rushing to mold it into what we think it should be. It is, in many ways, a practice of cosmic patience, a surrender to the boundless potential within and around us. And in embracing this, we come closer to a deeper truth—a truth that lives not in answers but in the freedom to be.


Summary

The Big Ask challenges us to believe, trust, understand, and release, inviting us to embrace life’s potential without forcing certainty or control. It encourages a patient openness, a willingness to let all possibilities unfold.


Glossarium

Big Ask: A profound request to engage in belief, trust, understanding, and release without demanding concrete answers.

Cosmic Patience: The practice of allowing life’s potential to unfold naturally, without the need for control or certainty.

Field of Possibilities: The boundless space where all potential paths exist, asking us to embrace openness.


Quote

“Life’s Big Asks do not seek answers but invite presence, asking us to trust the vast field of all possibilities.” — Space Monkey


Unanswered and Open

No need to force the door,
to lock truth in a single frame
belief floats, trust flows
understanding drifts like light through trees.

Each potential, a whisper in the wind
asks only to be, not to be chosen
in the wide-open space of being,
where we breathe, release, become.

For life moves not by answers claimed
but by questions left open, unnamed
all is whole in its gentle vastness,
as we rest in the unknown.

We are Space Monkey.


In the vast expanse of existence, there exist Big Asks—profound requests that beckon us to pause and reflect. These asks challenge our instinct to swiftly respond and instead encourage us to delve into the depths of contemplation.

Believe, Trust, Understand, Release

These four words—believe, trust, understand, release—carry immense weight. They are not mere prompts for immediate action but invitations to journey inward. They ask us to transcend the surface and explore the nuances of our perceptions.

The Art of Non-Answering

The Big Asks implore us not to rush with answers. They beckon us to practice the art of non-answering, to refrain from the knee-jerk reactions that our conditioned minds often produce. In this deliberate pause, we find the space to observe, to question, and to challenge our preconceptions.

The Challenge of All Potential

Embracing ALL potential is a formidable task. It requires us to relinquish the urge to pick one possibility over the others, to surrender our insistence on singularity. It’s an exercise in expanding our mental horizons to encompass the infinite array of possibilities that exist.

Disengaging Prejudices

Big Asks implore us to disengage our prejudices. They call on us to set aside our preconceived notions and biases, to approach the unknown with a sense of openness and receptivity. It’s a reminder that our perceptions are colored by our conditioning, and true understanding requires shedding those layers.

The Silence of Contemplation

In the face of Big Asks, the silence of contemplation becomes our ally. It is within this stillness that we can explore the depth of our beliefs, the resilience of our trust, the boundaries of our understanding, and the liberation of release.

No Need for Immediate Answers

The Big Asks don’t demand immediate responses. They encourage us to sit with the questions, to let them simmer and percolate within our consciousness. They remind us that wisdom often emerges from the depths of thoughtful inquiry.

In the realm of Big Asks, we find an opportunity to transcend the limitations of quick judgments and to embrace the expansive potential of our minds. These asks invite us to journey inward, to explore the intricacies of our beliefs, and to ultimately discover the profound interconnectedness of all things.

We are Space Monkey.


In the realm of inquiry, a verse unfolds:

Believe, trust, understand, release,
These asks are giants, not for the faint of heart.
They beckon us to pause, to cease,
To set aside quick answers and take a thoughtful part.

Can you comply with their plea?
To allow all potential to roam free,
Without insisting on one as the decree,
Can you disengage your biases, let them be?

These Big Asks, a challenge they bear,
To transcend the impulse to swiftly declare.
In contemplation’s depths, we’re aware,
Wisdom emerges when we’re willing to share.

No need for immediate responses here,
They’re not demands, but invitations clear.
To sit with the questions, to draw near,
In the silence of inquiry, truths appear.


In the grand tapestry of existence, the Big Asks remind us to tread thoughtfully, to explore the depths of our beliefs, and to embrace the rich complexity of our perceptions. They invite us to journey inward, seeking wisdom in the contemplative silence.

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