[Wise Words] - G. I. Gurdjieff

by J D May 02, 2017

My favorite type of wisdom tends to be the most simple. Something that concisely captures an entire concept or theory in just a short few sentences or less. These also seem to be the favorites of the internet, as inspirational text over images are completely unavoidable on absolutely any social media platform now. 

However the main problem with this type of knowledge is that it's really just the tip of the iceberg. It's like watching movie trailers all day and never actually going see the movie to know what the whole story is. So while a quote or movie trailer might be good on it's own, it sure does leave a whole lot up to your assumptions in filling in the blanks.

Which leads us to the first Wise Words...

"Today is what it is because yesterday was what it was. So too, if you want tomorrow to be different, you must make today different." -G. I. Gurdjieff

To call G. I. Gurdjieff an oddball would be a vast understatement. He was an absolutely brilliant mind with a very mysterious upbringing that seemed to have lead him to a form enlightenment at an early age. He spent most of his adult life (1920s-40s) traveling the Eastern Europe, Russia, and later Paris teaching his esoteric wisdom to very select audiences (all while selling carpets along the way to keep the appearance of a mere merchant to stay off the radar...yeah.)

In this quote by Gurdjieff, he is discussing evolving from the "human machine" that we are now into a real person, this being the first step towards mastery of self. His main point being that a serious and consistent effort is required by anyone who wishes to make a change, because there is no way to change the external world before you first master and change yourself accordingly. So changing today is the absolute foundation of accomplishing anything at all in the future. A good piece of wisdom to hold while going through our daily routines and adding a bit of intention so as to invest in our own future.

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If this peaked you interest at all:

 

 

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