The Gift and Curse

It has been speculated that the quote, “the meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away,” was penned by Pablo Picasso. Whether he said it or not, the statement is a strong indicator as to how complex and onerous the journey of embarking to finding oneself can be. In this writing, as an identifier, the curse is a parallel to the gift. When your undiscovered, yet, innate gift is continually avoided, it becomes your curse. This activates a push for discovery. Not many demonstrate such courage to walk through the journey unafraid of the unknown until the known is established.

In the beginning stages of self discovery there are times when we become aware of what actually is, however, the pull to slip into habitual safety can distract from pushing further into new territory of your potential. Having a good moral foundation or good enough parents doesn’t guarantee anything when it comes to the tapping into your gift. What does assist in this discovery though, is yourself and the assistance you receive along the way. Acceptance or assistance can be a tricky maleficence if it isn’t in line with uncovering your gift and can actually cause the curse to show face in a more radical way. Looking at the word curse, for most, it holds a negative connotation. Though, when closely examined, the curse can assemble the catalyst for a self-transformative experience. The curse doesn’t walk away unrewarded. Yes, tapping into your gift means understanding the existence of your curse.

The curse is useful and necessary to discover the gift, as it acts as a motivator for discovery. The gift, somehow sees the curse as unnecessary once discovered yet unable to completely eradicate its existence. For good reason, to serve as a reminder for self to not retreat. If retreating does take place, to not backpedal for too long. Freud identifies two drives that both coincide and conflict within the individual and among individuals. Eros is the drive of life, love, creativity, and sexuality, self-satisfaction, and species preservation. Thanatos, from the Greek word for "death" is the drive of aggression, sadism, destruction, violence, and death. At the conclusion of C&D, Freud notes (in 1930-31) that human beings, following Thanatos, have invented the tools to completely exterminate themselves; in turn, Eros is expected to "make an effort to assert himself in the struggle with an equally immortal adversary. But who can foresee with what success and with what result?” The coexistence is inevitable, yet the hopes is for the light to shine in darkness. To come to terms with your gift is to know your curse. It’s a receipt and recipe for the extension of self in the world and the utilization of self.