Squirrel-like Behaviour

One activity I enjoy even more than writing in my own blogs is reading those of others.

Some blogs act like portals into the work of other artists…other than the blog author him or herself…

One of my favorite blogs of that nature is Maria Popova’s delightful and informative blog, Brain Pickings.

I ran across a Popova post this morning that really resonated.

It presented an interview by Debbie Millman of prolific writer and connection age guru, Seth Godin.

Seth was talking about releasing ourselves from industrial age brainwashing…

and presenting our unique art…

an act that fully engages the lizard brain and scares the hell out of most of us.

Seth presented an interesting analogy that suggested that living according to the norms of the industrial age is akin to “squirrel-like behaviour”…

You know those squirrels…

they live up in the trees and gather acorns…

never really caring about the world below them, or even about other squirrels…

I guess that’s where the phrase, “squirrel away” comes from.

Now, I don’t mean to pick on squirrels so much…

They’re delightful furry little creatures…

and really aren’t doing anything wrong or immoral…

like all animals, they’re simply acting on instinct.

But we humans?

Well, we really don’t have that excuse.

Now, how is acting according to the norms of the industrial age, squirrel-like behaviour, you ask?

Well, according to those norms, we might start out as artists from an early age, but we quickly learn to tow the line and suppress those nutty notions.

Another interesting part of the interview is where they discuss the idea that if you ask for a show of hands in a first-grade class as to how many would identify themselves as artists…

most would probably raise their hands.

By the 3rd grade, that number would have largely diminished and by…

high school, no one dares to raise their hand…

well, maybe that one guy or girl in the back with no friends and weird clothes.

And we’re eulogized as a decent, hard-working, responsible squirrel…

I mean person.

It’s all about squirrelling away a life for ourselves.

Without giving a whole lot of thought about the ongoing legacy of our lives…

its impact.

Seth’s ongoing mantra is that in order to do that, we have to become artists again…

and the connection age in which we now live gives us a grand opportunity to do so.

And that’s really what this blog is all about.

It’s about getting you to stop the squirrel-like behaviour…

to be impact mindful…

and that really is about living the life of an artist.

Yesterday, I posted something that insinuated the possibility of a vast conspiracy by the powers that be to persuade us to act normal…

Do I really believe that?

Well, sort of.

You see according to the industrial age norms…

normal is the squirrel.

Now, there are exceptions…

and those, we historically have either celebrated, institutionalized or incarcerated.

But for the rest of us…

the life of the squirrel is supposed to be our destiny…

we even give it an inspirational name…

the american dream.

But all this is according to…

who?

Who created those norms in the first place and why am I destined to live by them?

Damn good question.

I’m hoping that this blog could be the inspiration for at least someone to refuse to engage in any more squirrel-like behaviour.

Come down from the tree and live for impact.

In other words…

be a human being in all its unique and vast creative capabilities.

image credit: Tomi Tapio via Compfight cc