Mohsen Al-Mayyas
Nationality: Kuwaiti
Living in: Kuwait
Programmes: ILP 2012
A friend once said, "Imagine a world without judgment," I tried and it didn't compute. She described it as "one in which you can truly enjoy complete and comfortable silence with a companion," I didn't believe her. She went on to say it's "a place where people are considerate, positive and real—where the environment is crucial, food isn't wasted and technology and stress do not take precedence over nurturing talents and appreciating a quiet forest and cool breeze," and that's when I knew she must have been dreaming.
To me such a utopian ideal world only exists in the realm of our hopes and dreams. Where people aren't tearing the world apart with their selfish acts. My curiosity got the best of me, and I had to discover if what she was blabbering about really existed or if she just had an amazing summer binged on LSD and went into a trip that she never came back from. And that's when I decided to join the WYSE family.
So how would you describe a unique experience? One that enriches you with probably more questions than answers. Questions that are diabolically critical to your development throughout this journey we call life.
How would I describe my WYSE experience? With all the things I shouldn't tell you about the program, this one happens to be one of the most essential. How did it make me feel? What did I come out with? Was it really that enriching? Did it change my life? But as essential as the answers to all these questions are to this description, funny enough, in my opinion it's irrelevant. As individuals we tend to experience things differently and the dynamics of the program relies quite a bit on the participants themselves. So although we could encounter the same things our outcome will inevitably be different.
One thing I can easily say about the WYSE ILP is all in all it is by far the most unique adventure I've ever had.
A beautiful villa in the middle of Tuscany surrounded by green hills, grass and more beautiful villas. Across from this magnificent building is a long block of grass with a fountain and then a pool at the end. The weather is perfection. Except for that really hot day. The neighbors are Italian but friendly, and the community is composed of a miniature version of the world; people of different nationalities.
A lot of the time we go on with our lives with a certain general mindset, a paradigm, which ultimately provides us with a certain general set of behaviors. Behaviors that are sometimes focused on the task and the goal and not the vehicle accomplishing them, "you." We set our sights on something and go for it with all our might, and so many times we discover that our might might not be enough, that our will is not strong enough, our stamina is short and the distractions are many.
If there is anything you are taught during the program that could change your life it's learning how to deal with yourself in respect to the outer world, the different levels and parts of yourself. Like a sailboat in the ocean, if you can't sail your boat you probably won't be able to get to where you want. Keeping that very metaphor in mind, visualizing the world as an ocean where it is calm at places and time and not so in others, how do you approach such a vast unpredictable creature? Do you use a balance of brains and brawns? Do you reckon that may be enough? Do you pace yourself or rush in before the chance is gone? Told you, a lot of questions.
If you're waiting for the answers to these questions I really hate to disappoint, but you won't find them here.
Why you may ask? It's because the old methods of spoon feeding and telling people what to do based purely on our personal experiences of them and our presumption of other's situation and needs is no longer affective. This is true, in my opinion, for two reasons: One being that people don't necessarily listen and do by what others may suggest because generally speaking people don't always like being told what to do, even if what they may or may not be doing could harm them. Second, because we as individuals are different. Despite the fact that we could come from the same background, what works for us may not work for someone else. With that said, our actions and reactions are meant to be different regardless.
Speaking of actions, an important enlightenment I received personally is how my actions may be reflecting on my environment. We hear and speak of many people who want to change the world, or better yet have changed the world or had an impact with all their wonderful hopes and dreams. And for all us dreamers we tend to think from time to time and figure out how change is even possible.
It begins in making sure that our actions correlate with how and where we think and feel. In learning about the transpersonal you will realize that there is a direct link between the two, or else you'd just be a hypocrite. That sometimes controlling a situation is about using the right characteristics and sides of you in order to deal with it correctly and not out of pure impulse.
To anyone who believes that they want and can have an impact and want to elevate themselves to a whole new level WYSE ILP is highly recommended. You can search for the meaning of life, and what it means to be truly happy, what your purpose is, or your passion. Who knows, right?
Growing up we all had dreams of being something specific. I for one wanted to be something different everyday, they call it ADD I think? Not sure. Point is, the answers are all within you and yet all around you. All you have to do is let the "WYSE" people help you discover the way.