Oh, hell yes. This. This is it. This is what most people miss—the beast isn’t the villain. The beast is you. Not some separate entity, not some foreign invader to be fought off, but a part of the same ecosystem that makes you you. And yet, how many people spend their lives pretending the jungle should be neat, orderly, devoid of creatures with teeth? They pave over the roots, sterilize the soil, pretend that what lurks in the underbrush isn’t there. But you? You looked the beast in the eye. You named it. You fed it understanding instead of fear. And that, my friend, is how the whole damn jungle thrives.
See, people have been sold this lie that healing is about elimination. That the bad parts—the rage, the grief, the failures, the anxieties—need to be excised. That if we just discipline ourselves enough, we can tame the wilds, trim the overgrowth, make ourselves palatable and presentable. But real growth? Real understanding? That comes from sitting down with your goddamn elephant and offering it love. Not turning it into a house pet. Not chaining it up in the basement where it kicks and screams in the dark. But acknowledging that it is here, that it always was here, and that maybe—just maybe—it’s been trying to tell you something all along.
And here’s the kicker—the jungle doesn’t just bounce back; it evolves. That trampled earth? That’s the foundation for the next version of you. The next iteration, the one that has lived, lost, learned. Those golden seams, those cracks filled with light? They aren’t flaws. They’re maps. They show you where the fire passed through, where the elephant has been, where you’ve been reforged.
So, keep speaking to the beast. Keep sitting with it. Keep listening to what it has to say, because anyone who has ever built anything worth a damn—anyone who has ever known the weight of being—has had to walk through the jungle and shake hands with the things they once feared. And what do they find? Not ruin. Not emptiness.
What a wonderful, poetic metaphor and how wise of you not to want to kill or cage the elephant! It's hard though, I know how hard it is to 'look it in the eyes', but also it's the essence of life.
I loved the part where you say if you focus too much on the elephant, you miss the beauty of the jungle! 💚
Beautiful and vulnerable, Gunnar. This reminds me of another cliche from Buddhism that I was reading from Jack Kornfield just yesterday: “No Mara, no Buddha.”
This is beautiful; such a poetic description of growth mindset. I especially love the metaphor to Japanese pottery. I know you said you could relate to my previous comment, and it sounds like you're speaking from those of your experiences here. Am I right about that? Thank you for this article. Resiliency is important. Growth is important.
Oh, hell yes. This. This is it. This is what most people miss—the beast isn’t the villain. The beast is you. Not some separate entity, not some foreign invader to be fought off, but a part of the same ecosystem that makes you you. And yet, how many people spend their lives pretending the jungle should be neat, orderly, devoid of creatures with teeth? They pave over the roots, sterilize the soil, pretend that what lurks in the underbrush isn’t there. But you? You looked the beast in the eye. You named it. You fed it understanding instead of fear. And that, my friend, is how the whole damn jungle thrives.
See, people have been sold this lie that healing is about elimination. That the bad parts—the rage, the grief, the failures, the anxieties—need to be excised. That if we just discipline ourselves enough, we can tame the wilds, trim the overgrowth, make ourselves palatable and presentable. But real growth? Real understanding? That comes from sitting down with your goddamn elephant and offering it love. Not turning it into a house pet. Not chaining it up in the basement where it kicks and screams in the dark. But acknowledging that it is here, that it always was here, and that maybe—just maybe—it’s been trying to tell you something all along.
And here’s the kicker—the jungle doesn’t just bounce back; it evolves. That trampled earth? That’s the foundation for the next version of you. The next iteration, the one that has lived, lost, learned. Those golden seams, those cracks filled with light? They aren’t flaws. They’re maps. They show you where the fire passed through, where the elephant has been, where you’ve been reforged.
So, keep speaking to the beast. Keep sitting with it. Keep listening to what it has to say, because anyone who has ever built anything worth a damn—anyone who has ever known the weight of being—has had to walk through the jungle and shake hands with the things they once feared. And what do they find? Not ruin. Not emptiness.
But life.
And the great, roaring beauty of becoming.
What a magnificent comment, thanks! Yes to all of it.
What a wonderful, poetic metaphor and how wise of you not to want to kill or cage the elephant! It's hard though, I know how hard it is to 'look it in the eyes', but also it's the essence of life.
I loved the part where you say if you focus too much on the elephant, you miss the beauty of the jungle! 💚
Thank you, Monica!
It is hard, but the elephant and I are working on our truce. We'll get there ;).
Beautiful and vulnerable, Gunnar. This reminds me of another cliche from Buddhism that I was reading from Jack Kornfield just yesterday: “No Mara, no Buddha.”
No elephant, no Gunnar. Thanks for this.
Thanks, Danielle. "No elephant, no Gunnar." is not a sentence I ever expected to make sense, but it does.
This is one of the best things I’ve read in a while. Thank you for writing it and sharing it with us. 💜
Thank you, Carrie.
This is beautiful; such a poetic description of growth mindset. I especially love the metaphor to Japanese pottery. I know you said you could relate to my previous comment, and it sounds like you're speaking from those of your experiences here. Am I right about that? Thank you for this article. Resiliency is important. Growth is important.
Thanks, Michael. (Yes, you are right.)
"Good thing I'm a biologist."
So many good lines in this but I think this might be my favorite.
I have my moments ;).
Lol still committed to the modesty bit, eh?
Modesty bit, my perky behind. Confidently humble.
Oh, this is wonderful.
Thank you, chala!