Absorb - Take in or soak up, typically gradually.
Apply - To put to or adapt for a special use.
Disclaimer
As with every time I unveil a new idea or concept on here, I do so with caution. Caution that I’m just another man in a world of billions and this is just something that I believe and that works for me. I don’t live a life based on facts but more so based on feel. I feel this…hopefully you feel it too.
Absorb & Apply
The concept is simple: in order to truly grow as people, in order to progress, in order to be successful and happy, we must constantly absorb & apply. Absorb meaning that we take in as much as possible from what is around us. Apply meaning we use what we’ve taken in as a guide to form beliefs and habits and for future decision making.
If I take $20 from my bank account, I’ve absorbed $20. I can now apply $20 towards a purchase. If I take $5, I can apply $5 toward a purchase. It’s simply impossible to absorb only $5 but attempt to apply $20. You can’t apply what you are yet to absorb. You also can’t apply what you’ve absorbed but lost along the way — that’s why your ability to retain is also key.
Slow It Down Some
The question then becomes how do I absorb effectively? You absorb effectively by constantly being aware. You would have to believe that there’s far more to the world we live in than what meets the eye. You train yourself to become that much more aware of signs, of sounds and colors, of human behavior, of animals, of trends…as much as your mental capacity will allow. Now you’re absorbing at a high level. It’s no coincidence that most of the people we consider great and prophetic rarely abuse drugs and alcohol and tend to isolate themselves from the social scene. That which you experience or encounter but are unaware of is useless to you and will not benefit you in the future until you become aware of it. It’s why a lot of people find God and religion in prison. They go back and replay their lives and become aware of things they were previously living too fast to observe.
Inuition Is There Even When My Visions Impaired
If you do it well enough, you begin to realize and appreciate patterns. Patterns in people, patterns in yourself, patterns in the universe. Now you can assess which patterns to avoid and which to embrace. Which to continue and which to break. Jay-Z says he had “keen senses since a teen on the benches”. How so? He’s been absorbing since a kid. Being constantly aware makes his intuition sharper than that of most. It’s beyond vision. Vision tells you “the cops are right there, I should probably run”. By then it’s too late. Intuition tells you “that last customer didn’t speak the way we normally do, I should probably leave this place”. Could mean the difference between a jail sentence and freedom. The difference between succeeding and failing.
Knowing Ain’t Enough…Gotta Use It
When Tupac was shot the first time at Quad Studios in NYC, he tells the story in an interview later that he knew something was up from the minute he walked into the building. He said for the first time ever he saw a black man not acknowledge him with hate or with love, just complete indifference. His would be assailant stood quietly in the lobby with his hat low and what Pac had absorbed over his years told him that the guy was up to no good. Unfortunately for Pac, he was high on marijuana and didn’t apply what he absorbed which is that you should probably leave a place like that or at least protect yourself.
The saying goes “you know better, you should do better.” Failing to apply what you’ve absorbed is always costly. It’s why once I conclude that a habit or action is bad for me, I try my best to eliminate it immediately. Either that or face the consequences. None of us would walk off a cliff because we’ve absorbed enough pain falling from a bed to conclude that the pain from falling off a cliff would be much greater. If we choose to not apply what we’ve absorbed in that situation then we risk becoming human roadkill.
I’m Not A Star…Somebody Lied
People often give me credit that I know the right things to say or do in situations. Depending on the person, they think it’s some gift or unique talent. It’s not. I’m simply aware of a lot more than the average person, therefore I’m able to apply more. I can’t predict the weather, at least not yet, because I haven’t invested any time in absorbing weather patterns. But I have invested a ton of time in absorbing human behavior so I always have a pretty good idea as to what it takes to make another person smile, cry, laugh, think or what have you. A person can greet me with the biggest smile and hug and I can see beyond that. A person can also threaten to shoot me and I can tell if he means it or not. If you want to make it sound cool like a Hollywood director then you make into this mystical “I see dead people” type of thing. But really it’s just a higher level of awareness that leads to a higher level of absorption and application.
Trading Places
Simply being aware is not enough. You have to live a life of action. Constantly placing yourself in other peoples shoes and in different environments is the proper way to absorb. If you absorb from afar, you’re simply doing research and although useful, it’s not quite as effective. It’s as limited as people who have never been to the ghetto who analyze and criticize how ghetto people live. They’ve yet to absorb anything from that environment thus they’re unaware of it’s complexities and what they apply is usually incorrect and misinformed. That’s why well traveled individuals tend to be the most brilliant — they’ve seen just about everything there is to see. They have a high absorption rate, so to speak.
Teach You How To Sell It
Absorbing and applying also plays a big role in being able to market effectively. Whether you’re marketing yourself to attract a mate or marketing computers, your success ratio depends on how much you’ve absorbed and are able to apply. You know what the other person on the other end wants and needs then you can build it and sell it to them. Marketers who fail are those who are out of touch because they haven’t absorbed enough from the people they’re marketing to. They’ve never actively walked in that persons shoes so they have no clue what he or she wants and needs. The music won’t connect as well, the t-shirt won’t sell as much, the food won’t taste as good. That’s why anytime politicians want votes, they go amongst the people they want the votes from and suddenly you hear talks of “he relates to the people very well, I like him”. Of course he does. He’s absorbing from them and applying it to his speeches and hopefully to his policy making should he be elected.
Dear God
It goes far beyond careers too. I personally believe in a higher power. I believe there’s a force that put us here and oversees everything we do. Protects us, guides us, cares for us. The force works better for those of us who go with it and obey the laws of the universe. How do I know this? Because I’ve been aware enough and absorbed enough in my nearly 24 years to apply this pattern: When I disobey the laws of the universe, things do not go in my favor. When I’m humble and thankful and I obey, my life is second to none.
If I simply just lived those 24 years without being aware, I’d be inclined to believe that there is no God or no higher power. I’d believe that there is no purpose to me living other than filling up the space between when I was born and when I die. I could never trully have faith. But thankfully at some point in my journey I’ve been aware enough to see signs that there is a force that we all have to answer to. And once you absorb that and begin to apply it to everyday life, it’s usually smooth sailing from there on out.
Reserve Judgement
This theory has also made it next to impossible for me to judge or criticize anyone unless I’ve absorbed what they have absorbed. It’s like people who looked at me funny for dropping out of school and who till this day insist I need to go back. They haven’t absorbed what I’ve absorbed so they don’t know the first thing about what I’m applying or should apply to my life. They don’t know that I have a billion dollars worth of absorption at my disposal. Telling me not to apply it or thinking of me as somehow limited is incorrect on their part. I can’t tell someone not to buy a Lambhorgini because it’s too expensive. He might have absorbed $100 million from the bank, so applying $200,000 towards a car purchase is not a problem for him. And even if he was worth only $200,000 and spent it all on the car, I still can’t say much other than my opinion because he may have a purpose far greater than what I see.
It’s why no one should choose a partner for you. Unless a person has absorbed what you have then they are probably too unaware to rightly say you should be with him or with her. At the most they can give an opinion but they can’t demand that you apply that opinion. That’s why none of us has the right to question people who choose to be with the same sex. We may not like it or understand it but we haven’t absorbed what they have and telling them who to be with is as ignorant as wealthy people who criticize the lifestyle of the poor. The only person who can accurately speak on anything (being black, playing a sport, selling drugs, painting, etc) is someone who has actively been a part of it. Someone who is so aware and absorbed enough of it to apply rationale when making a statement about it. Otherwise you’re simply a spectator and opinion is the most you can offer. Opinion is fine but it when it’s time to apply, it should take a back seat to that which has been absorbed.
One exception to this is when a persons behavior or actions lead to the pain and suffering of other individuals. Just because we haven’t walked in the shoes of a rapist or serial killer doesn’t mean we can’t judge his or her actions. We have all absorbed pain and suffering before. Therefore we are more than qualified to apply that information and cast judgement on those who cause it. We are also justified in taking necessary action to stop such individuals from causing further pain and suffering.
More on this as I develop it but for now this is my theory and I’m sticking to it.
