Hey guys!
Thought I’d (try to) make a shorter one today. Now then,
About my last post (you can find here), I wanted to say something that I think is important for people to understand if y’all are going to be taking advice from me. Here it goes…
I am guide, not Guru.
Noticed how I capitalized Guru and kept guide lowercase? It’s key in understanding this post. Allow me to explain…
For years now (at least online like on YouTube), there have been many a self-help person who advertise themselves as Gurus, or imply in their delivery of their spiritual knowledge that they are indeed a Guru.
I have a problem with this.
In the generally accepted connotation of the word, Guru often insinuates that a person need look no further for answers on how to better their lives. My problem with this is that is discourages free thought. and far too often, the Gurus online are so grabby, so to speak, that they’ll go as far to say or imply something like, “If you don’t do as I say, bad things will happen to you.”
This comes from a very uninspired place and a place of desperation on the part of the Gurus. They want people to stay with them so that their platform is sustained and, as I mentioned in the last post, can help them to provide for themselves and the people around them, which I find very noble.
That said, I don’t think that someone’s success should come from misguiding people and spreading one’s own sense of desperation onto those other people. That’s just really odd to me.
Odd because not only are you only helping them in the short term, they have to come back to your videos every time they need an emotional boost. Effectively, you’re creating a bunch of Spirituality and Self-Improvement fiends, dependent on Your, the Guru’s, video content or content otherwise.
I think y’all are getting it. 😊
Remember how I capitalized the G in Guru, but not in guide? We now enter the description of what I want to be to you guys.
I like guides. I think there’s an inherent humbleness to them. I also acknowledge this as someone who believes that each person should regard themselves as the best thing to ever exist in their personal opinion, whatever that means them (The reason I believe that is because if everyone was that confident about themselves, they wouldn’t feel like they have to look outside of themselves for personal and existential validation). In short, I believe that I am a super awesome and capable person, I use that confidence whenever I can to find new information that I think will better my life somehow. I become a guide when I share this information with the people around me, physically and digitally.
Now when I become a guide, that’s when my humbleness takes center stage. No one likes a teacher who acts like their students are all beneath them (Trust me, I went to school around brainiacs! 🤣). In my experience, I prefer when people meet you where you are and help to build your knowledge with you. As I say, Gurus happen to you, they talk at you. And guides, they talk with you, and happen to be there for you.
After awhile of being of some help to people, they started saying “Evan, you should be a teacher. You are really good at breaking this down for me.” I’ve heard that ever since I hit late preschool.
One of my old bible summer camp friends even said I should be a therapist after I helped him to gain some perspective! I’m not sure if I would go that far with it, but really, this blog is a near-direct manifestation of that reality, that desire to… Help people.
So with all that said…
I am your guide.
I am not here to cram ideas down your throat, hoping that you swallow them.
I am not here to tell you what to do. Only to offer another way of doing things for those looking for one.
In fact, I think it’s better if people look at all their options and try them! That way, they exhaust all their options before trying whatever new thing I offer.
I am also a leader, when I have to be, but I am still only here to guide you.
Point blank, I can’t know exactly what will help you specifically, dear reader. I can only share with you things that I know and that I think may help all of you.
And you can rest assured, I’ll be doing my best to try to help when you allow me to guide you through my Bag of Self-Actualizing Tricks!
~
I’m not sure if y’all as readers know this, but you are helping me, too! I am also using this blog to help make sense of my knowledge and my own life experience, so you guys reading this (and reading this far) is something that will always warm my heart!
Looks like I kept this one under 1000 words! Way to go, Me! (You need that pat on the back from yourself, especially if there’s no one there to externally give it to you! 😄)
Now, Imma stop before this gets any longer. See you guys in the next one!
…
Wait for it, wait for it!
Guide!
“He did it! He Capitalized the G in guide ONCE!”
What’s a rule if you don’t break it sometimes?😄🤣😉
Evan