Space
Space, as insignificant as it sounds, is something we cannot do without. In our everyday busy lives, we tend to cramp so many things. Work, study, family, friends, loved ones, hobbies, loans, investments. Sometimes, it becomes like a shoe rack that is so packed with different kinds of shoes that the rack seems to topple anytime soon.
Have you ever had that feeling?
We tend to neglect the existence of space, and more importantly, the signifcance of space. It allows us to breathe, to take a step back, to move on. We tend to neglect space just because we cannot see it, but that is a convenient excuse not to place an importance on space.
In music, space exists as rest. Its existence serves an important role in preparing the musician for the next phrase of music. It enhances the anxiety and it alsoi allows freedom for the listener to digest what they have just heard.
In visual art and photography, the presence of space in a picture highlights the main subject. The space around allows the viewers to focus on what the artist or the photographer want them to look at, without which, will just be a mass of clutter.
In a busy city like Singapore, don't we find ourselves squeezing among the hordes of people in the MRT trains? I am sure being stuck in a mulfunctioned lift or in a jam along PIE isn't a good feeling at all. In such situations, don't we wish we have some space to move on, or basically just to breathe?
We can observe that in everyday life, we need appropriate physical space around us to be comfortable, to feel still. We need space so that we don't sniff another person's armpit or scalp, we need space so that we can run or swim without hitting another person. As essential we need space physically, the existence of space in human relationships should not be neglected as well.
For people who are in relationships, some will tend to cling on to the people they love and care on. It is understood that they are want to be around with their beaus as much as possible, to be as involved as the other parties' lives as possible. During the early period of the relationships, there will be frequent phone calls, affectionate address and teasings, meet ups everyday. But as time past, phone calls become less frequent, meet ups become less constant. Is that a bad thing?
Not necessary.
I guess that is the creation of space within the relationshiip. And it is definitely important to have just the right amount of space. Some will think that this space will affect the relationship, because one becomes less involved in the other person's life. But what is more important that this is the space that keeps the relationship going on. We all need our own privacy, even from the very closed ones around. This space allows us to be ourselves, to think without being affected by the surrounding. This space allows the relationship to grow, and this space creates the opportunity for one to miss and to long for the other person.
Too much space is no good, but the absence of which is definitely detrimental.
Space within oneself allows us to put aside mundane stuff that bothers us. As much as we want to fill our lives with many 'shoes', walking different lives, to be as productive and to achieve as much as possible, we need space to cool ourselves, to be zen. The worrying part, we forget to dedicate space within us. The result? Anxiety, failure to keep a cool mind and being too stressed.
I admit I am one of the victims.
But as I grow up, I think just giving myself space is not a waste of time. It is not being unproductive. It is actually allowing some time to be myself, to think what I want to do. It is like in being in a relationshp with myself, and the consequences are similiar.
The important part is how much space is enough, too much or too little. That I am still trying to figure out.
But for sure, if you feel uptight, feel stressed, feel down, and hardly able to breathe, give yourself and the people around you some space. Clear the mind and think it through properly. If you have given space and it still doesn't seem to help, just find a friend to talk. A good friend will pull you out of your current sardine-packed mind, and bring you to an empty-spaced state of mind.
Labels: life
