I have a problem. I tend to take life seriously, and yet I don’t much care for being serious. I suppose that’s because the older I get, the more I sense that there’s something absurd and pointless about it. I’m becoming ever more convinced that this whole thing is just a level of dreaming, and that all the things we’re supposed to take seriously are really rather futile - and that applies not only to questionable things like the pursuit of wealth, power and status, but also to those more esteemed pursuits like working to make a difference. Make a difference to what, exactly? The illusion? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making a difference, you understand, just that I don’t think it’s worth taking seriously. In the final analysis, it’s merely a healthy pastime.
I’m coming to think that the only things worth pursuing are those that outlast and betray the true nature of the dream – peace, equanimity and joy. And anything that triggers those attainments is worth cultivating, whether it be the simple pleasure to be found in nature, the companionship of open-hearted people, beautiful music, the compelling dynamic of the life principle, or even the taste of a good cup of coffee. And I want to laugh at it all, for honest laughter is surely the road to enlightenment.
And yet I will probably continue to take life seriously and irritate myself in the process. And I might be wrong.
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4 comments:
My belief is that certain actions put one more in harmony with what I would called "The surround". These are the true satisfactions in life.
Well you see your writer's block paid off and just the next day (but photos were great). About beyond the dream, I think that's how it is – having these ups and downs – for those who think a lot about things. The answers aren't always certain. I notice that those with set ideas and approaches tend to sail happily through life without thinking too much about it. Doubts are good, but difficult. Have wandered off here and must tend now to daily chores (how prosaic). Have a nice day!
Greetings Susan. Surely, though, you must wonder just what 'The Surround' is.
"Eventually you come to the edge of a continental shelf, and beyond it lies an abyss in which logic has little, if any, relevance."
Della. Saw a bunch of teenagers coming out of school yesterday and thought of Maddy. I've noticed a paradox with teenage girls especially - a mixture of the superficial and the profound. I look at every one and wonder 'which way are you going to steer?' But you're right, which is why these days I try not to think too much. I try to go with the flow, not the convention.
Ha. Teens get a bad rap (boys, too). I think they try on superficial and profound like clothing, to see what it feels like, striving for an improved version of grown-up. But it's a shot in the dark. Little do they know the child inside is a good thing, as you say.
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