You Are a Pipe, Not a Captain

Have you ever felt like life is a ship you need to steer? Many of us see life this way. We think we must control where we go. We believe we are the captain.

But what if this view is wrong? What if there's a better way to think about life?

The Pipe Metaphor: A New Way to See Life Flow

Think of yourself not as a ship's captain but as a pipe. A pipe does not try to hold water. It lets the water flow through. The pipe's purpose is to let water pass.

If you're a pipe for your life, your purpose is to let life flow through you. You don't need to hold on to it. You don't need to keep it or control it.

When you change how you see life, your values change too. What you care about shifts. How you deal with stress changes. There is less to worry about when you don't try to hold on.

The Parable of the Two Friends

Once in a small village lived two friends, Marcus and Eli. Both had to bring water from the river to the gardens.

Marcus tried to control the river. He built dams and dug channels. He worked hard to make the water go where he wanted. His hands hurt and his back ached.

Eli watched the river first. He saw how it moved. Then he made a simple bamboo pipe that worked with the flow. He didn't fight the river's path.

When dry times came, Marcus's dams ran out of water. When rains came, his dams broke. He was always fixing and worrying.

Eli's gardens grew well all year. His pipe guided the water in wet times. It saved enough in dry times. He worked with the river, not against it.

One day, tired Marcus asked Eli his secret.

"I stopped trying to be the master," Eli said. "I became its servant. The water knows where to go. I just help it along."

Letting Go: The First Step to Freedom

Like Eli in our story, we must first let go. Only then do we see that we are not captains. The idea of controlling life is not real. It's a mirage.

All you have to do is let life flow through you. Let it flow as best as you can. Then you stop looking back and forth in time. You focus on now.

Focus on How, Not What

When you become a pipe for life's flow, you care more about "how" than "what." How becomes more important than the goal itself. This gives you freedom. You are no longer tied to results.

This new view gives you space. Space between you and others who focus only on "what." This space helps you see better. It's like stepping back from a wall to see more of it.

Finding Peace in the Flow

When we let life flow through us like Eli did with the river, we find peace. We stop fighting against the current. We work with life, not against it.

Your purpose is what you're doing right now. It makes sense to do your best in this moment. Who would worry about tomorrow or yesterday if they were a pipe? All that matters is the flow right now.

Your New View of Life's Flow

By being a pipe for life, you gain a new way of seeing. You see more clearly. You find more joy in the process. You let go of the need to control.

Like Eli's simple bamboo pipe, you can guide life's flow without forcing it. You can find purpose in being part of the flow, not its master.

Let life flow through you today. Stop being the captain. Start being the pipe. See how much lighter you feel when you no longer carry the weight of control.