The Human Journey, excerpt by PheneX

PheneX is an artist exhibiting at Northern Lakes CMH’s 3rd Annual Art of Recovery: The Human Journey show, which is on display through the end of November at the Inside Out Gallery. She shared her feelings about the Human Journey at our opening reception and gave permission for us to share excerpts with you here:

What is a human journey? The human journey is a trip we all must take. It only matters to the individual how this trip is taken or where it is going. Along the way we meet up with both positive and negative influences that sometimes leaves a lasting impression on our lives; this is where the journey gets interesting. Life is the passenger and time is the vehicle that carries us on this journey with perfection as our destination.

If a person sits in front of a television and all that they do is flip through the channels until they go on to glory, then that was their human journey, what their legacy would be. Maybe they tried to live their life out in the open once and got so hurt that all they could do was to sit in front of the TV. Maybe that was what made them happy, maybe that was how they felt safe. They might have had their favorite shows and a scheme to their channel surfing, they might have made their favorite foods at a certain time – but even if all that they appeared to be doing was sitting in front of the TV their whole life, they perfected that life and that individual did not miss the human journey.

We will be hurt, we will be harmed, we will be preyed upon, deceived and schemed on, and sometimes bad health will befall us or a loved one, not to mention accidents and injustice, and it will seem unfair. Sometimes we will become broken vessels and we need to be mended. Where do we go? To the doctors? To the hospitals? To the therapist? Yes, these resources are very good and should be used as prescribed. The healing begins.

Should we sit alone in a dark room with only the TV to comfort us while we heal? That might be good for the first day or so, because rest is the basic component for the healing process. It’s to secure and confine the wound and isolate from the elements and support the wound so that it can rest and mend properly.

But what’s the next step? Do we just stay in the dark or do we get back out there?

I like the daytime, I like being in the sun and the wind, I like seeing the seasons change, feeling the rain on my face and watching the rivers flow. I like seeing people everyday, I like flowers and watching the children play in the park. I want to be an active part in all the positive things about this world. But how do I go about doing that when I could get hurt again and I’m already hurt from the last time? What do I do? I’m afraid.

We must come out of ourselves and humble ourselves before something greater than ourselves. We must return to the universal laws of greater love, inner peace, and trust, we must experience compassion with one another and practice charity freely. We must forgive and let go. We must free ourselves and others and live the best way that we can, through joy.

Not holding on to old hates and disappointment, the human journey is about pushing past the point of conflict to reach perfection. With our song, dance, our homes and gardens, our children, our relationships – by expressing our lives through our artwork no matter what form it comes in.