{"id":761,"date":"2015-08-21T07:00:03","date_gmt":"2015-08-21T14:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rickhanson.net\/?p=4588"},"modified":"2015-08-21T07:00:03","modified_gmt":"2015-08-21T14:00:03","slug":"back-to-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/justonething\/2015\/08\/back-to-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

What\u2019s fundamental?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Practice:<\/em><\/strong>
\n Back to basics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In middle school, I thought it would be cool to play a musical instrument, and picked the clarinet. My wise parents rented one rather than buying it, and I started practicing. (In the garage because it sounded pretty screechy.) After a week or two of doing scales, I got bored and picked my way through a couple easy songs. But after a few more weeks, I couldn\u2019t go further because I hadn\u2019t laid a foundation with scales and similar exercises \u2013 so I quit in frustration. To this day, I regret never learning to play a musical instrument.<\/p>\n

I and others tend to skip over the fundamentals<\/a> for a variety of reasons, including impatience, laziness, or a kind of arrogance that thinks we can sort of get away with not paying our dues. There\u2019s also the subtle impact of our media, which showcases celebrities who seem to spring out of thin air \u2013 though actually it took years for them to become an overnight success.<\/p>\n

But when we don\u2019t take care of the fundamentals, the foundation is shaky for whatever we\u2019ve built: a relationship, a career, personal well-being, spiritual practice \u2013 or playing the clarinet. Perhaps we can get away with this for awhile, but there\u2019s usually a background cost in uneasiness, waiting for a day of reckoning, perhaps with the sense of being an imposter. And eventually, when a real challenge comes, the building shakes and maybe topples.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, when you handle the basics, the cornerstones, you feel like you\u2019re on solid ground. Even if things don\u2019t turn out perfectly, in your heart you know you had the humility and conscientiousness to honor the prerequisites, the essential requirements, the bedrock of the matter.<\/span><\/p>\n

How?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

First, know what is basic for you<\/span> \u2013 since this will differ from person to person. Here are some potential \u201cbasics\u201d for you to consider; they\u2019re just a start, and please add your own! Use the list that results to see if anything pops out to address:<\/p>\n