Wishes. Берардино Нарделла

hunting in some far-off places; to seek and go beyond both our limits and those of the world, to visit exotic places or maybe to sail around the globe as well.

      Yet if we don’t follow any direction we will go on without any goal, ignoring where we’re going to, bereft of enthusiasm or aim.

       Conversely, our aim provides us with emotions, ambition, happiness as we approach our destination, and joy throughout the journey.

      Understanding that we are the captains of our own ship is of the utmost importance.

      We are living our own existence, so we must be the ones sailing our ship towards the goal we decided to reach.

      If we let others lead our ship we won’t be able to sail it and it will become impossible to reach the shores we wanted to get to.

      If we leave others lead the way, our ship will sail through seas we did not pick for ourselves and we will never know whether that journey will provide us with happiness, joy, satisfaction, and fulfilment.

      Moreover, without the control of the ship we will not be able to adjust our direction in case we should see rocks or icebergs which may make the ship get stuck or sink into the ocean.

      We could not avoid the looming hurricane on the horizon and we would fatally crash into it.

      We would not be able to survive storms and we would end up being at the mercy of what the sea sets aside for us.

      To be sure, storms will gather even if we are leading our own ship.

      Nevertheless, we will try to avoid them and deal with them in the best way, furling the sails and dropping anchor.

       Every storm will provide us with experience and if we will be able to make good use of it we will be prepared to face any upcoming storm.

      Storms, winds and bad circumstances will not hold the captain if his purpose is steady, if his aim has become one with his heart and existence.

       Sooner or later he will reach his destination.

      What’s next once we arrive?

       It will surely be something that makes us proud and happy, but any true sea dog won’t settle for long.

      He will be back on his ship sooner or later, sailing towards new seas, new lands, new treasures and new shores where to drop his anchor.

      This is what existence is about. It’s a journey, a relentless quest for ourselves and our possibilities, an inexhaustible source of chances and discoveries.

       We are the captains sailing through waters that represent the world, our own life and everyone else’s, and we sail on a vessel which represents us as a whole. It is therefore important to care about it and make sure it is always on point.

      We don’t want it to take on water while we’re sailing the high seas: it would be impossible to reach our destination.

      The missing piece in the metaphor of existence is the role of our mind, our crew for the journey.

      We refer here to the unconscious mind, some 90% of our brain function we probably aren’t even aware of, despite the fact that it underlies every aspect of our being alive, from survival – as it leads the functioning of our own body – to what we call “character”, the totality of our lived and imagined experiences registered in our brain.

       The crew is fundamental for the vessel.

      Our captain alone couldn’t succeed in his endeavour.

      Having a crew of reliable and strong men would make the journey smoother and the challenge feasible instead.

      But what if everyone in the crew acted on its own?

      What if the tasks weren’t clear?

      What if anarchy was the rule or if someone wanted to mutiny?

      Our vessel would then become uncontrollable and would inevitably shipwreck, swallowed by the waves.

      Hence the importance of having a crew working for its commander and the need to instruct them about what to do, to prepare them in order to make them become efficient and expert through continuous work and experience.

      The helm, as you might know, constantly needs to be held.

      The waves tend to shake it and thus deviate it. It needs someone to adjust it when needed, someone who keeps the direction pointed by our compass.

      The captain could surely do that, yet maybe not for the entire journey.

      If, as captains, we would’ve well trained our men, we could sleep safe and sound because we will trust them. We could count on their help because we will know that what we want is their desire too.

      Once we get here, we can completely rely on our inner world for help and guidance and trust our loyal crew, no matter what happens on the outside.

      This is thus the aim of this book: enabling us to cover the role we are entitled to, that is, the role of the commander and the task of taking care of our ship, leading it were we want to, as well as ruling our crew so that it provides us fundamental support for the trip.

      Once we take charge of the role, nothing will stop us from longing, seeking, wanting, being what we want to be, from romantic pirates to adventurers and explorers of the unknown.

      Once we realize that the journey has already begun and that it’s never too late to adjust the helm, there is when the actual adventure will start.

      It will be up to us to finally decide to live it all.

      Once we will set the route our goal will be there waiting for us and the lands we’ve been wanting to see will be looking forward to welcoming us.

      Maybe someday we will be part of some legends, rising to the Olympus of mythical heroes.

      We will be remembered and known as forefathers and we’ll possibly discover new continents, whose existence many had long ignored.

      May fate and the sea be always on your side in your trip, Captain!

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

PART ONE

      WISHES AS THE ENGINE OF LIFE

      

      

       “We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”

       William Shakespeare

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      

      Wishes are our actual strength throughout our life.

      Since birth, we come into this world as hollow creatures who are not self-aware and who do not have any conscience about the surrounding reality.

      Like any other life form on Earth, the very first part of our existence is completely dominated by our instinct of survival.

      This goes also for minerals.

      Despite their lack of what from a biological point of view we would call “life”, they struggle continuously to earn their place in the universe and in our existence.

      Even