Léon Kowalski on Radical

Our dearest CreativeMornings community, we made it to December… !

So, as the festive season count-down began and we could feel the jingle of hope and new-found courage in the air, our last speaker for 2020, Léon Kowalski, guided us through the front door and turned back the hands on the grand clock so that we could take a little peek into the history and makings of the interesting House on the hill, called RADICAL.

The concept of Radical was constructed in the 14th century with the intention of giving meaning to the roots and origin of the people of that time, however its meaning changed, well radically, with the shifts in consciousness in the centuries to follow.

It shifted mostly in the 18th century, where it became the buzz word of political reform and it would come as no surprise then that it was around this time that the liberal party was formed. Political reform spoke to the longing for change from the current state of affairs - an outcry for the government to transform and focus on what is essential - being the representative voice that truly served.

However as Léon mentioned, the shift in the 19th century was most ‘disturbing’ when Radical came to be seen as unconventional. Something that had once been described as natural and true to the rooted self, was now seen as different.

There was a clear gap between what the government presumed to be the voice of the people and the actual inner voices that felt normal. As Léon explained, true individuals in touch with their rooted selves, battled against this authority and conforming rules which would, if abided by, create dissonance within themselves.

Independent thinkers acted out, spoke up and expressed their beliefs in revolutionary ways - living on the edge of control. They were seen as unconventional and became the meaning of what it was to be radical - to be brave enough to stand up against the norm. Being radical became aspirational. Being aspirational meant living a meaningful life.

But how do we find meaning?

It requires some exploration of your own House of Radical. You have to open the front door and go on a discovery of each room. You get to appreciate each unique view, decorate it all to your heart’s content and decide how to share the feel of your inner walls. It is in building this foundational sense of self that we allow ourselves the time to understand our individuality and take the time to observe the light and shadow sneaking through the curtains.

Léon took us on a beautiful journey of his House of Radical Life and how learning to be open to change, new ideas, growth, making mistakes and feeling deep emotions like love and pain had given meaning to his life. It had made him realise that having meaning meant being true to your original self.

More importantly, he discovered that being Radical meant being quite the opposite of unconventional or aspirational because something is actually only radical based on someone else’s definition of what is different.

Radical is merely the self-expression of your true self in the world - to be in your root.

It is somewhat humorous how the norm has shifted from us being rooted self-loving, respecting individuals to self-knowledge and expression becoming a fearful task. We have become scared of ourselves and what we truly want. Society’s social pressure has created a norm of self-doubt and a quest to fit into the thoughts and feelings of other individuals.

Have we forgotten what being an individual truly means?

We need radical self-reform. We need to be brave enough to use ourselves as a tool in exploring our world for we are at our best when we are in our own power.

Enter the world of cryptocurrency which as Léon highlighted allows us to play in the ocean of decentralisation and steer ourselves towards self-empowerment and away from only having centralised bodies consuming us with control.

So during this last month before we enter a new year, may you be inspired to take the time to explore your rooms, to sit down in your favourite chair and from that place of inner strength and serenity, enjoy the view of being radically rooted in yourself.

And that’s a wrap folks…We’ll see you in 2021!