"I'm a survivor", my friend said as he referred to a certain aspect of his persona. Unknowingly, my mind captured his words and for two days, like an unconscious dream, quietly nurtured them. Suddenly, one morning, through a daydream I wondered: what are "survivors" like? What do "survivors" do, or think about? My mind's answer: They are always surviving. What I mean, is that for a Survivor life is like being in the jungle - residing in the darkness, facing danger and tasting the uncertainty. And in the jungle, the quest for meaning becomes the Survivor's hope.
I pondered further: That for a Survivor, when facing uncertainty, Danger becomes the strongest possible outcome. To put it in perspective, Survivors process life and behave mostly based on the belief they are constantly facing a potential threat, which causes them to be on guard. This guarding behavior leads the survivor to "pounce", run, defend, hunt, but not slow down, or feel - which is not the Survivors forte. Because if a Survivor stops - they could die! They will fall prey to Danger. Hence, to a Survivor; Movement equals Life!
Survivors have a need to think and act fast. For a Survivor to slow down, or stop, signifies surrender - vulnerability - opening up to Life, and welcoming the uncertainty, welcoming the reality, the "danger" or the "peace"- which will test them, chew them up and spit the Survivor back out - into an unknown - a place the Survivor has no experience with - perhaps a place where they have to adapt and re-learn how to survive.
However, if the Survivor makes the jump in the midst of the unknown, he will start to experience a feeling of "discomfort" or "unfamiliarity". This feeling occurs because for the Survivor, to be able to survive means to be on guard - to always "have" control and "be in" control - to always KNOW to be a part of the "familiar" - to be one step ahead. This is a deep belief that drives the Survivor instinct.
As we move through our daily lives - are we surviving or are we embracing the unknown?