Consider this: Everyone in Japan learns to ride a unicycle. Yes, I’m serious. Here’s the proof:
They learn it in school, usually in grades 3 and 4. This surprises almost everyone. Why? Well, we’re not exposed to many people riding unicycles here in North America, so we assume that their scarcity corresponds with difficulty. We never see it, so it must be next to impossible, right? Wrong. Riding a unicycle is only a bit more complicated than riding a bike or even navigating this world on our own two feet.
You’re probably thinking that walking or running on two feet is easy, don’t you? Well now you’ve committed the same error – you’re assuming that, simply because you are exposed to it all the time, it must be easy. Tell that to someone who has to relearn how to walk after a stroke, see if they agree with you! Walking and balancing on our feet IS complex and difficult, just like riding a unicycle is. But it’s so commonplace that we don’t give it a second thought.
Why does this matter? Well, my career in circus arts has shown me that we VASTLY MISUNDERSTAND OUR CAPABILITIES, and that the consequences of this are beyond anything we can even imagine. Think about it – if we don’t think something is possible, we won’t take the steps required to learn it! And while juggling or unicycling may be trivial, they show us that we routinely close the door to other, more important things too. Things like managing our weight. Or addictions. Or pursuing something that REALLY matters to us. The result is that we live these “safe” lives that are only a tiny fraction of what we could be.
HOW DIFFERENT WOULD YOUR LIFE BE IF YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD DO ANYTHING?
Before you object, let me tell you – I get it! Simply believing that something is possible doesn’t mean you’ll automatically achieve it. But I know one thing for sure – believing that something is IMpossible means that you automatically won’t achieve it!
There are countless examples in humanity of something being considered “impossible”. That is, until someone did it. And once they do, it’s like the floodgates are broken and it becomes commonplace.
Take the famous “Four Minute Mile”. It was considered impossible until Roger Bannister did it in 1954. Since then, thousands of runners have accomplished it.
Look around you at our modern world – if you were to tell our ancient ancestors about ANY of the things that we have and do on a regular basis now, they would think you’d gone crazy! And yet, who even gives a second thought to the automobile that they drive to work everyday? Or the fresh berries imported from Peru throughout the winter, insect-free, plump and juicy, and affordable enough that commoners like us can afford them pretty much whenever we’d like!
Our world is FULL of wonder, we simply need the eyes to see it that way again. Socialization taught us that being “normal” is more important than falling to our knees and paying tribute to the beautiful flowers that bloom in spring after a cold winter. Or the beautiful blue skies, the green grass, the fresh air, the birds singing. ALL of these things are miracles, but we’re generally too busy to notice.
I want to bring that sense of wonder back. I use circus arts to amaze people and snap them out of their usual state of being half-asleep. Once I have their attention, I want to use that sense of wonder to have them start asking themselves “I WONDER if…”
The beauty is that they can finish the question however they’d like! As long as they’re in a state of WONDER, they will be open to WONDERING if there are better ways to be in the world. WONDERING if they can transcend their limitations, transmute their struggles, and live more meaningful lives.