When we think about the term space we usually think of something outside of us such as an empty room, a piece of land, perhaps the Universe, or maybe just a pure vacuum. We rarely think of our inner space – the quality of space within us.
Let’s take two people for example. The first person may on a daily basis work, take care of a family, maintain social relationships, maintain his or her home, find time to work on his or her well-being, engage in his or her hobbies and perhaps still accommodate if something unexpected turns up.
The second person may be in a similar situation but his or her engagement and outlook on the situation are completely different. The work is tiresome and long, there is rarely time for friends, cleaning, children or hobbies but even if time is there energy is lacking. And if something unexpected happens to such a person either everything else comes to a halt or in most extreme cases the person breaks down.
Are our outer and inner spaces really so different? If we want to build a house we cannot build it inside another house. We first have to make space for the new house. If we want to put something in a room and the room is already full we first have to take something out. That is perfectly understandable to almost all of us. But we are not so good at understanding the same concept when it comes to our inner space.
It’s not just about time or energy. The meaning or the quality of our inner space is much larger than that. Learning is hard if we are already full of opinions, ideas won’t surface if we are already full of thoughts, inner peace is impossible if we are already full of anger, sadness is difficult to accommodate if we lack the emotional capacity. So to understand the element of space mentally not just physically is something very very important for the quality of our lives.
Space is also very important for growth. Children, adults, as well as our relationships, need space to grow. Children need to explore the world around them and that exploration is possible only if we give them space. As adults, we also need time to be alone and by ourselves to recharge and/or figure things out. It’s also important to give space to our personal relationships with our spouses, children, and friends. Relationships need space to develop, otherwise, they can get dull or conflicting.
If we are looking for some kind of change in our lives or just want to be in a natural flow of life we must contemplate on the concept of space. People are usually prone to ponder about things that occupy space but very rarely if ever on the space itself. When we think of space we usually think of something that is free, available, and unoccupied. Such space has potential. Potential for something new or different. If we are a person who cultivates space inside and outside we will among other things grow faster, form better relationships with other people, accommodate change easier but most importantly feel more deeply connected to life itself.
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