(Image Credit llreadll) One time, my friend had what I like to call “a moment of clarity.” That is, a moment of awakening, a moment in which she was at peace, a moment in which her thinking mind had stopped trying to figure out ALL THE THINGS, and paradoxically, it all made sense. How do I know this? Because for about 60 seconds, she had a look of wonder on her face. And then panic. Then she said something to the effect of, “But how do you hold on to this?” Which is nothing but the hallmark of a fleeting experience of awakening. And it’s frequently those very words, thought or verbalized, which bring it to an end. I could never forget being there when this happened for my friend. My friend, on the other hand, had completely forgotten about it two years later. How could that be? I like to think of our minds as containing a vast maze of filing cabinets. All incoming data is processed through the dependable-yet-conventional filing lady, Mildred. Mildred always wears sensible shoes. She is very kindly, and she isn’t taking any chances with our well-being. She does…
Row, Row, Row Your Boat: Wisdom for the ages. An exploration of the nothing matters/everything matters paradox. A beautiful image of the unfolding of wisdom, of awakening. For me, this nursery rhyme ranks up there with advice from the spiritual masters. Also, I tend to get all awkwardly deep about random, casual things and I thought the internet was the perfect place to unleash my weirdness on this topic. Let’s break it down, shall we? Only let’s do it backwards. Life is but a dream… During moments of clarity, across time and cultures, people have been struck with a realization that the world as we know it is illusion. We only interact with the world though our paradigms, what we view as solid is shifting, who we think we are is not real, we see only “through a glass darkly.” We realize all we stress about and strive for and obsess over is only “dust in the wind” and all our busy comings and goings cannot change the Truth of Our Being. When this happens, it is like a 2×4 to the head which puts everything into perspective…
I come out firmly on the side of yes. Yes, altruism exists. Yes, people can do what is right. I have seen it in person, and I have read of it happening…
Word to the Reader: These posts contain affiliate links, meaning a percentage of the purchases made through some of the links on my site go to support this blog at no extra cost to you! I only link to products I love, because obviously. Remember growing up, and rolling your eyes as your parents droned, “With privilege comes responsibility” for the hundredth time? Or is that just me? Most of us humans believe we deeply value and desire freedom. This is certainly part of the story, but the reality is rather more counterintuitive. In practice, freedom creates a “dizzying” (as Kierkegaard would put it) array of possibility and choices that invoke incredible anxiety in most of us. This can certainly be seen among Millennials like myself, many of whom grew up around the idea that you can be anything you want to be, and that you should pursue your passion. But what if you don’t know what your passion is? What if there are twenty-three things you could potentially imagine doing? What if you’re the type who doesn’t want to miss a single opportunity and thus struggles to settle…
Here’s the thing: I do not like to leave things up to fate/the universe/God/whatever. I am not one of those “go with the flow” people, one of those “let go and let God” people. I am more one of those “If I can’t create a 30-step plan to make it happen, it must be impossible and therefore will not happen,” people. I have always actually believed that: that if I can’t see every step of the way for how an outcome might be achieved, it cannot be achieved. Yes, I know how arrogant that sounds. Much of what I have accomplished to this point has been through sheer force of will, for the most part, and brute effort. Very bootstrappy, if you know what I mean (towards myself, mind you. I will never tell you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Unless your boot is falling off). In many ways it has worked well: I have a master’s degree, a fulfilling career, and beautiful daughter who I got pregnant with by obsessively analyzing my cycle and fertility signs. On the other…