Stop Poking the Web

There was a piece of the puzzle I had to recognize.

Sometimes we discover a structure we no longer want to participate in —

and then spend enormous amounts of energy fighting it.

We analyze it.

Test it.

Check whether it's still there.

Trace its origins.

Watch what it does.

Try to prove we've escaped it.

We poke the web.

And then we're surprised when the web moves.

But if I'm continually fighting the web,

I'm still touching the web.

If I'm checking the web,

I'm still touching the web.

If I'm organizing my life around making sure the web cannot reach me,

the web is still helping determine where I stand.

Sovereignty offers another possibility.

Remove your hand.

The web doesn't have to disappear.

You don't have to understand every strand.

You don't have to defeat it.

You can simply stop organizing yourself around it,

and go stand by the rose.