Wars and natural disasters seem to bring out two different sides in us--one that is fear-based and one that is rooted in love, and I think most of us have both. On the one hand, the electricity goes off, the water stops running, our house is in ruins, criminals are prowling the streets, it's dark and scary, and we barricade ourselves in and reach (perhaps appropriately at times) for a gun...and on the other hand, so many people manifest amazing degrees of kindness, generosity, self-sacrifice, and fearless acts of compassion and service, risking their own lives to save others. We all contain both possibilities. And yes, we've certainly seen how charismatic leaders like Hitler can capture public support for terrible ends, and how revolutions begun with the highest of intentions can turn into something quite different.
I wish I could be grateful for the invite to the banquet. I feel that the inability to leave the table or least rearrange the seating is what I focus on lol
I agree with Robert, and I'd add that those feelings of "Get me out of here!" along with the feelings of frustration, grief or rage at the others at the table not behaving as I think they should is something I'm sure we all experience at times to greater or lesser degrees--that giant 'NO!" to life as it is. 😎 And yet, here we all are--with, as Robert points out, a continuous turnover of arrivals and departures, and no two seeing everything in exactly the same way.
"You have to regard yourself as a cloud in the flesh because, you see, clouds never make mistakes. Did you ever see a cloud that was misshapen? Did you ever see a badly designed wave? No. They always do the right thing. So do we, because we are natural beings just like clouds and waves, only we have complicated games which cause us to doubt ourselves.
“But if you'll treat yourself for a while as a cloud or wave and realize that you can't make a mistake, whatever you do, because even if you do something that seems to be totally disastrous, it'll all come out in the wash somehow or other. Then through this capacity, you will develop a kind of confidence. Through confidence you will be able to trust your own intuition."
“ I see, said the blind man” I appreciate your vision and the energy you allow to flow through “you” to share these insights. Forgiving and relaxing,inspired and inspiring
That excerpt from Painting the Sidewalk with Water struck a chord with me. As someone whose been involved in conservation work for years, it's easy to fall into the narrative of "humans are destroying the world, people bad." Yet it's also clear that humans are just doing what animals do. Securing food, eliminating competing species, building nests, and fighting over territory...
And perhaps "wrecking" the place is what's called for. We wouldn't even be the first to do it. First were cyanobacteria, which flooded the air with poisonous oxygen, causing the first mass extinction - and paving the way for oxygen-breathing complex life to arise. Maybe we're here to clear the stage. To make the world just right for something a few million years down the line that likes a nice, hot climate...Who can say?
thank you as always for your kind and thoughtful words.
i love this:
"If we have been meditating for a while, we may have the idea that the rain is something natural and good, and that thoughts are something unnatural and not so good. Rain is spiritual; thoughts are not. But is this true? Or is thought simply appearing here like everything else in the universe, all of it one seamless whole arising?"
Wars and natural disasters seem to bring out two different sides in us--one that is fear-based and one that is rooted in love, and I think most of us have both. On the one hand, the electricity goes off, the water stops running, our house is in ruins, criminals are prowling the streets, it's dark and scary, and we barricade ourselves in and reach (perhaps appropriately at times) for a gun...and on the other hand, so many people manifest amazing degrees of kindness, generosity, self-sacrifice, and fearless acts of compassion and service, risking their own lives to save others. We all contain both possibilities. And yes, we've certainly seen how charismatic leaders like Hitler can capture public support for terrible ends, and how revolutions begun with the highest of intentions can turn into something quite different.
This response to war always inspires me:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedran_Smailović
Rather like those musicians I've always loved who played music on the deck of the Titanic as it sank.
The generosity of bestowing fearlessness
Keeping the focus on “Jesus” in the face of calamity, whatever Jesus is for us
Thanks particularly for the first excerpt, Joan. It could not be more timely. <3
I wish I could be grateful for the invite to the banquet. I feel that the inability to leave the table or least rearrange the seating is what I focus on lol
You will be leaving the table. We all will. One's time at the table lasts only briefly and then the chair is occupied by the next diner.
I find that remembering that promotes gratitude for what one is able to experience right now. Of course, your mileage may vary.
I agree with Robert, and I'd add that those feelings of "Get me out of here!" along with the feelings of frustration, grief or rage at the others at the table not behaving as I think they should is something I'm sure we all experience at times to greater or lesser degrees--that giant 'NO!" to life as it is. 😎 And yet, here we all are--with, as Robert points out, a continuous turnover of arrivals and departures, and no two seeing everything in exactly the same way.
I would joke that I had a God Complex. I appreciate your perspective, and in seeing the futility and the way it keeps weighing me down is helpful.
Dear Joan,
You know I love your leaf blower story 🤗
https://youtu.be/0RGY6OW6-3I?si=awcyAhPc5zrV-oew
"You have to regard yourself as a cloud in the flesh because, you see, clouds never make mistakes. Did you ever see a cloud that was misshapen? Did you ever see a badly designed wave? No. They always do the right thing. So do we, because we are natural beings just like clouds and waves, only we have complicated games which cause us to doubt ourselves.
“But if you'll treat yourself for a while as a cloud or wave and realize that you can't make a mistake, whatever you do, because even if you do something that seems to be totally disastrous, it'll all come out in the wash somehow or other. Then through this capacity, you will develop a kind of confidence. Through confidence you will be able to trust your own intuition."
- Alan Watts
Love these.
“ I see, said the blind man” I appreciate your vision and the energy you allow to flow through “you” to share these insights. Forgiving and relaxing,inspired and inspiring
Ahhh, living with things just as they Are, Peace🙏
That excerpt from Painting the Sidewalk with Water struck a chord with me. As someone whose been involved in conservation work for years, it's easy to fall into the narrative of "humans are destroying the world, people bad." Yet it's also clear that humans are just doing what animals do. Securing food, eliminating competing species, building nests, and fighting over territory...
And perhaps "wrecking" the place is what's called for. We wouldn't even be the first to do it. First were cyanobacteria, which flooded the air with poisonous oxygen, causing the first mass extinction - and paving the way for oxygen-breathing complex life to arise. Maybe we're here to clear the stage. To make the world just right for something a few million years down the line that likes a nice, hot climate...Who can say?
Beautifully said! 🙏
dear joan,
thank you as always for your kind and thoughtful words.
i love this:
"If we have been meditating for a while, we may have the idea that the rain is something natural and good, and that thoughts are something unnatural and not so good. Rain is spiritual; thoughts are not. But is this true? Or is thought simply appearing here like everything else in the universe, all of it one seamless whole arising?"
thank you for raining down these thoughts on us!
love,
myq