MISSION

Allow yourself to take a moment to think about all the events that have taken place during the course of time for you to be here now…

For you to be: YOU!  

Coincidence?

I believe not.

And the reason why, as I see it, and with all due respect to everyone’s personal thoughts and believes, it's because there’s a very specific and powerful motive for each of us to have come in this time and space. To have encountered each other. To have attracted each other. Whether it concerns to matters related with love, family, friendship, profession, personal development or business, what might be seen as a factor within the realm of probability, be aware it is nothing else than a matter of purpose; purpose which ultimately is the path and the journey itself for the reason of being... There lies the mission!

My mission somehow, at least as I sense it at the temporary stage of life I'm in right now, seems to be helping people to be aware of rhythm. And although I’m a percussionist, the rhythm I refer to, is not necessarily the one related with music, but instead one with a deeper and broader meaning, one with a more intricate and complex matrix: the rhythm of life.

I’m not trying to invent anything here. Nothing of this is new. It is just that to me, it makes total sense to think that as generations pass by and people leave behind the stage of physical matter we live by in this 'earthy realm', we should be reminded about certain things that could potentially help us making a better 'stay', while passing through earth, hopefully contributing to make someone else’s life experience better as well.

Under the law of purpose, I was then born in Bogotá, Colombia, to a family of teachers: Luz Teresa and Alejandro, who built their love and home around the written and spoken words and melodies of sociology, philosophy, education and to my joyful destined journey: music. 

It wasn't long until my closest life's rhythm pal arrived. Lautaro. My brother. And so the rhythm of our family, definitely under many sacrifices and efforts, moved along crafting an education supported by thoughtful conversations and analysis, important lessons and meaningful rituals, but specially by unwavering principles for justice, honesty and tolerance. 

Being the son of two educators, I embarked myself into the endeavors of teaching at age 13, as a music teacher for orphan children in Bogota, which, quoting Steve Jobs' words, would result to be one of the crucial dots my rhythm has come across so far, for it gave me, at a very early age, a true sense and perspective about the recurrent unfairness and inequity we humans have allowed to grow indiscriminately in our world.

Most important though, after almost three decades of being in this teaching path, up until very recently, in a serendipitous way, I was able to profoundly understand and articulate what education and educating means to me, which comes down to this:

Educating  =  Sharing Experience. 

And as soon as you include the concept of sharing, education gains a whole new meaning. A meaning that leaves behind hierarchies and absurd concepts of power and 'status' between the ones that have the knowledge and the ones that ‘don't’, between the idea of abundance and the one of scarcity; for it takes nothing more than interacting with others, hopefully in a humble way, to share what has shaped our own rhythm, for a whole universe to vibrate and evolve towards a higher frequency of hope, equity and well-being. 

We all know!...  All the information is within us!...  It has always been!

Why then such a ‘paraphernalia’ supporting the manipulation of knowledge an information?... 

In the evolutionary process, every time we share our knowledge, as well as every time an event in nature or in the cosmos occurs, the learning spectrum feeds and expands the source, which is the universal intelligence itself. In that way, a collective DNA, if you will, grows and evolves nonstop, while being in communion with any form of energy that is.

. . . 

Something that has always triggered my brain, besides the truth I believe there's behind it, is the rooted concept some ancient cultures and indigenous tribes profess, about little children coming to the world with all the knowledge and the clarity of their purpose in life. This knowledge and information, as they explain, gradually ‘faints’ when newborns start interacting and experiencing the world for the first time, although it never disappears completely, as it resides in the depths of the person's subconscious mind and DNA (allowing the human concept of intuition to come into play).

But what fascinates me the most about this all, based on this ancient way to perceive and understand life, is to think that the journey, as we gradually grow, begins. A journey towards within us, in order to 're-learn' and 're-discover' what we have always known. To me that journey, that evolutionary process in itself, is what we humans defined and understand as life. 

From that perspective, how enlightening it is to realize that every single rhythm (person, event, situation, condition) that comes into our life experience, is mainly teaching us, helping us to evolve and leading us to the reaffirmation and reencounter with our own knowledge. With our child essence.  And ultimately, with our own mission.

. . . 

People in the past have made fun of me by saying that the reason I have the photo from this blog-post as my facebook profile's picture (which I have never changed), has to do with me wanting women to come to me and squeeze my cheeks as they compare me with the little kid there (which does happen eventually :P ). But no one really knows the actual meaning and purpose behind it.

Two weeks before that picture was taken by my cousin Leonardo, I had fell down the stairs and my skull had broken badly, which for a 9 months old baby could have represented a pretty tragic early death. The moment that image was captured, my parents had just taken me out of the hospital, for everybody's relief. But what I unfortunately was never able to tell Leonardo before his sudden and sad death some years ago, was how grateful to him I was, for capturing in time, a split second of my life in an image that has become a door and a channel to the depths of my subconscious DNA. To the essence of what that child was and is about. 

That photo has the purpose to remind me about the importance of being and staying connected with my inner-child, with what I truly want in life, with what I burn inside for (besides of course sending loving thoughts to my ‘devoted-looking’ mamá :).  And every time I see it, it challenges me not only to recognize, through my own eyes, the flame of the essence that lies within me, but also to recognize and eventually motivate, in the people I interact with, the value to act from and to connect with the little child within!

Now, how does your little child within look like?

Can you recognize him/her, and the burning flame inside, every time you stand before a mirror?

What is she or he telling you?

What does he or she exactly want?

Are you living or working to fulfill that little child’s dream?

. . . 

  

Two strong female role-models in my life come to mind every time I think about pursuing life’s mission, as I remember how it felt to interact with them in person, but specially to look them straight into their eyes, staring inside their beyond-shining looks.

Jane Goodall clearly states that for her, it is a matter of “giving people hope”. And those that have followed and witnessed her meaningful and powerful lifetime work, can attest the truth behind her words and specially her endless actions. But to me the key behind her message, is the wisdom she has been able to articulate, based on a profound understanding of living beings and her direct experience with nature itself since she was a little girl. That wisdom, the same one you hear in her peaceful voice and the one you can be exposed to when you look into her eyes, is what makes her be one with nature itself, and ultimately fulfill her purpose of being, as she relentlessly advocates and defends the conservation and protection of wild life on earth.

In similar way, her barefoot steps on stage, allow Evelyn Glennie to feel the vibration of the percussion instruments she performs, thus compensating the deafness she was diagnosed with at a very early age, which instead of what could seem an impediment to pursue a music career, became her main motivation to overcome a biological condition of her rhythm, leading her, years later, to go down in history as the first person to successfully make a music career as a classical soloist. As a percussionist myself, to me Evelyn’s example stands above any other in the field, as she, due to her nature, has been able to symbolically ‘Touch the Sound”, at the highest possible level, in the classical music world, to come to the understanding that her mission in life is to “teach the world how to listen”.

. . .

Very often, when I give workshops or talks, I ask people what they think their purpose in life is, to what a high percentage usually stays silent, besides the ones that laugh at me, making me wonder how much time do people really devote to the (definitely hard) task of immersing one’s thought process into the fact of self-existence and meaning. Now, let me ask YOU:

What’s your purpose in life? Why are you here? To do or to accomplish what exactly? For whom?... Can you clearly articulate and put that life purpose into words?

My intention with this, is neither to put pressure on whoever listens to or thinks about these words and questions, nor to narrow down life’s greatness in itself, as I believe that by simply existing as a life-energy form, we are already fulfilling a universal mission, for we are, whether we are conscious of it or not, already sharing our intelligence and information through our vibrational existence. However, just imagine what could happen to your present reality if you add intention to the purpose of being alive as you listen closer to the child within in order to articulate and bring clarity into your mind about your specific reason to be.

What if for a moment, beyond your present evolutionary process, you focus on thinking what adding value for others could look like… What allowing others to benefit from your own essence would be like…What conveying the possibility of sharing the unique universal knowledge that resides within you with any other human being would feel like…

Visualize yourself being a light for others... as you fulfill your deepest wishes and personal dreams and desires as a life force, allowing the people around you to be inspired and transformed by your very own, deep and true mission… by the unique talents and gifts, as well as the vision of the world only you can share and offer to the rest of us…

How does it look like?

See it!  Sense it!  Feel it!... And perhaps in the process of such exercise, more clarity might reveal.

Now, if things are clear for you, or better: clearer, and if all this does already make sense and has resonated with your actual existence for any given time, then:

How far are you in the process?

What’s holding you back from being further down the line?

Deeper in the journey?

. . .

What is needed at this point for you to relentlessly embrace your calling?

Or in Seth Godin’s words: what would it take so that you “Don’t hide from the mission” any longer? Anymore?...

Perhaps finding inspiration by seeing someone like Bobby McFerrin showing his very own way of conveying a mission while performing?

Or analyzing what deeply resonates inside, as you witness others around you answering their own life call?

The key to be on the right mission journey then, is to stay true to who you are! For as long as it takes! For nothing else will lead you in the right evolutionary path, to the true accomplishments and place where only you belong to!

Stay focused! And acknowledge as a success every step that vibrates closer to that mission and that moves you towards the direction and place where you are supposed to be, hopefully never losing sight that the end for you on earth will certainly come.

And above all, remember: Rhythm has brought us here, as a result of universal evolution, which means that by simply existing, we are already fulfilling our universal mission, which ultimately is to help other energy forms to evolve! However, be aware of the opportunity your creative essence is being given. Don’t waste it! TakeAction!

. . . . . 

That said, my invitation to you is to be responsible with the gifts and talents life has blessed you with! Act upon them! Whether you have one or many talents, pursue them relentlessly, without paying attention to the voices of others that might tell you there are too many rhythms or ‘things’ around in your life; for the things and situations you are surrounded by, as well as the people next to you (at any given moment), are also part of the blessings your existential force has manifested and created for your own personal evolution.

Life as we know it, is just too short and too precious not to use some time and effort to acknowledge and honor your qualities and strengths! Understand that taking this particular action will allow you to evolve as a human being and specially move forward, further, as an energy form! That’s actually the one reason why you and I are HERE!

Then, why wasting the actual opportunity you’re having as you read this words to pursue your mission?

Hear your ‘calling’!

And whether it is by creating things, making art, serving, helping, leading and empowering others or writing words:

Share your experience!... Show us!... Teach us!... For your mission, is absolutely needed for the rest of us to harmoniously vibrate and keep on evolving as part of the universal rhythm.

We have all received ‘the call’ to be here, now! A call that has come from our own evolution and knowledge and that our most profound self has known about all along. A call from nature that has brought every person in your life, in the form of a teacher, to help in the realization of the mission itself.

So never forget to welcome your teachers with gratitude, benevolence and respect! As a sign of reciprocity for contributing to the awakening of our consciousness. Even more when facing complex times, as the ones we are dealing with now, in which polarization among us humans rises, as well as it does the earth’s electromagnetic frequency, which leads to constant overexposure of energetic intensity. Find balance and stay centered as you embark yourself in your mission’s path.

You are every single rhythm that has come into your human experience in this realm and dimension. You are the result of the words you have heard, the things you have seen, the people you have encountered and the energies you have interacted with at any given point in your life. Exactly those rhythms are the ones that have made YOU… That are YOU! Recognize them for what they are and always be aware that their purpose is to allow in you the realization of the MISSION. Then:

Be it!