What Truly Feeds Your Soul?

"In his short story "A Hunger Artist," Franz Zafka depicts a man who becomes a circus act whose "performance" is simply fasting. For a while, he awes people; then they are bored and turn to more diverting side shows. When asked why he fasts, he replies that he would have eaten, had he found something that tasted good, something that truly fed his soul. This story is a sad parable of much of Kafka 's personal suffering, but even more a powerful reminder to each of us that something within us wishes to be fed. It is the task of the considered life to honor that need and find what really feeds, what really summons growth, as well, and then share that larger expression of soul with others.

So, then what feeds you, and how do you know? Some basic tests are available to us all, and their validation arises from our own psyche. There are no right answers--there are your answers, and other people's answers--to these tests. No one else can tell you what is right for you; at best they can attest to what is right for them, if they even know that. Those who are readily prepared to tell you what is right for you are not your friends. They are unconsciously seeking validation of their own tenuous choices through your compliance."

~ James Hollis, Ph.D