So read on, I hope you enjoy this post. (Damn, that picture makes me look like a middle aged male sweating his ass off in the Mekong Delta while eating fresh durian. Type casting!)
Sanna Sanna Ho Sanna Hey Sanna Ho Sanna,Hey JC, JC won't you fight for me?
Remember those words from the rock Opera Jesus Christ Superstar? We sang the music, we argued the message, we cried at the end of the film.
How can we really find nirvana, heaven, or whatever we believe the after life to be? We flock to temples, churches, tents and fields. Old people send their Social Security checks to support the Mega Church ministries that fill the airwaves on Sunday morning, with the promise of miracles of never ending wealth if only you pledge your checks to their keeping.
Some of us meditate for hours. People still flog themselves, mentally and physically. We starve ourselves, and walk miles to the top of mountains. Some feel that raw food is the answer to a long life. But do any of these paths lead us to true peace?
They just might. They're tools, and every now and then we need a tool. A ladder is a tool, and we don't think twice about using a ladder to change a light bulb. A screwdriver is a tool, and we'll use one to remove the cover on the back of a dryer.
Isn't meditation, prayer, or fasting just as much of a tool as a ladder or a screwdriver?
But do we really need any of these tools to reach the peace that we are seeking in our lives? I propose to you that we really don't need anything other than reaching out and becoming part of that which is our birthright!
A couple of years ago, a dear friend and I were taking a walk through one of the Columbus Metro Parks. We stopped, as was our habit, at the nature overlook to see if there were any deer nearby. For just a moment the world stopped, and there was a peace I'd never felt before. The normal background sound of birds and traffic from the nearby highway disappeared. The wind stopped, and for a moment we were in that place between time, between breaths, where all is connected and life exists as one. It ended too soon, and we both looked at each other wondering what just happened?
Sound crazy don't I? But isn't this what we are all striving toward? To be one with that which connects all that exists? To be free of fear, or want?
Did it really happen? I think so, and that is all that really matters.
What did I do to cause this moment? Did I meditate, pray, fast, or flog myself? No.
I merely allowed myself to accept that which is everyone's birthright; peace, love, and life.
If you need a tool, I have an experiment for you to try. The next time you go to buy your food for the week, don't just fill your basket. Try listening to the food you buy. Pick it up, and see if it feels alive. Pick the fruit or vegetable which feels more comfortable in your hand. Remember Chevy Chase in Caddyshack, when he looked at Danny and said to "Be the ball". Well try to be the red pepper, the durian, or the grapes. If they don't excite you, put them back, and pick up another piece until you feel comfortable with the food you plan to ingest.
The closer you come to your reality, the more you'll realize what your reality really is, and become one with your world.
May you each experience that moment, and may it fill your life with wonder, and the realization of your birthright, whatever path you walk.
Yeah, that's a picture of me zoning out in the Mekong Delta while gnawing on a lovely hunk of durian. Nirvana. Heaven on earth. Better than contemplating your navel. Understand that I really can't stand my picture being taken. But I figured I'd post something for #1 Daughter who is in Belgium. Keely and I really miss you Sera.
1 comment:
Bob....your picture made me start cracking up laughing! Not so much your picture, but what you said about yourself. You and Keely must have a ball together.
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