(This article was inspired by my friend Zahir's recent post)
"The conundrum of existence plays upon itself like an alley cat in heat
To break upon the quiet of the rational mind
To reset us, preoccupied in our inordinate passions
Back to the here and now.
And with a joyful sorrow feel at once grounded and lost
To deal with the unstoppable pace of dream and reality."
The conundrum I refer to in my poem is the apparent necessity of evil, the Yin to the Yang, the contrast by which we are made aware of our existence.
From our human perspective there always seems to be some "improvement" to be made, some idealistic notion that things are not what they should be and that we have the power to make a difference according to our vision.
Our consciousness blinds us to our true insignificant place in the scheme of things, and so we entertain the false notion that we can control the ways of Nature.
We say that life is not fair and that good guys finish last, but indeed what is the measurement of these things?
Our "punishment" is our inability to accept the fact that no matter how we perceive our imperfect existence, life is absolutely perfect just as it is. Our punishment is the conundrum, the conundrum our punishment.
The skyscraper and atom bomb are all works of Nature. Nothing is separate from Nature, and we along with all creatures and inanimate entities in the Universe are a part.
It's hard to imagine that nuclear weapons are a natural phenomena, but Nature has a purpose for this. To think of the entire planet or universe as a single living entity, we must conclude how minor a component we truly are.
Perhaps these weapons and our pollution and such are signs of our success as a species, and as such represent the means of correction to the pestilence we have become. A disease in need of a cure which Nature will provide through the choices we make. This is what we are bringing forth.
Perhaps consciousness has developed to enable us to maintain ourselves as a species longer than genetic changes alone would allow, to be able to understand the natural system and to respond appropriately.
Some of us already understand this yet many do not. This is the great experiment of consciousness now in progress. Will we be able to humble ourselves sufficiently to direct the inevitable correction or shall we become the means to our diminution or destruction and let Nature decide how best to deal with us?
Our ultimate goal as a species is to become a different species according to the laws of evolution and adaptation to the environment. Our chances for success become less as the environment changes more rapidly at our hands.
How unlikely it is that we exist at all! How finely tuned is the progression of events that have allowed us to come into being after billions of years since Creation! Change one of hundreds of parameters even slightly and the whole scheme falls apart!
We have become the Eyes of the World. What do we do with this gift?
I say live each moment as if it were the last, to rejoice in the glory and impossibility of our existence, to think about thinking, to be humbled and thankful for the opportunity to feel pain and fear as well as love and joy. Embrace the differences and contrasts that abound and realize that everything is a part of ourselves.
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Comments: 7
Embrace the horror!
Batten down the hatches!
Where's the pizza?
He ran but soon came to the edge of a high cliff. Desperate to save himself, he climbed down a vine and dangled over the fatal precipice.
As he hung there, two mice appeared from a hole in the cliff and began gnawing on the vine.
Suddenly, he noticed on the vine a plump wild strawberry. He plucked it and popped it in his mouth. It was incredibly delicious!
wish more of us could taste the sweetness of each moment as that strawberry.. sieving through the demons of the past and future.. gnawing away at our present..
sifting through all the words.. tiny notes of silence are all that resonate intrinsically..
thank you Mike, for embedding that article within yours.. it's possible to visualize the ocean in a single drop.. thank you for helping the vision brim over..
Thank you for the inspiration and for your kind words.
What a wonderful parable, the sweetness of the strawberry!
The lesson of this parable is exactly the same as what I intended in my article. In fact, my first draft ended with the words "Be here now".
all would I expect you here! What have you come with, uninvited guest?'
'I have come to see you, spirit of evil and sovereign of shadows,' the
newcomer replied, glowering inimically at Woland.
`If you've come to see me, why didn't you wish me a good evening,
former tax collector?' Woland said sternly.
`Because I don't wish you a good anything,' the newcomer replied
insolendy.
'But you'll have to reconcile yourself to that,' Woland objected, and a
grin twisted his mouth. 'You no sooner appear on the roof than you produce
an absurdity, and I'll tell you what it is - it's your intonation. You
uttered your words as if you don't acknowledge shadows, or evil either.
Kindly consider the question: what would your good do if evil did not
exist, and what would the earth look like if shadows disappeared from it?
Shadows are cast by objects and people. Here is the shadow of my sword.
Trees and living beings also have shadows. Do you want to skin the whole
earth, tearing all the trees and living things off it, because of your
fantasy of enjoying bare light?'
Sorry for the long quote - this is from "Master and Margarita", of course. ;-) Another parable to ponder...
Blessings and best wishes to you, dear Mike, and may, unlike the poor Master from the novel, we all deserve Light - S.
This is exactly the statement I was trying to make, only expressed more eloquently than my poor abilities allow.
I do not mind the length. I wish there was enought time in my day to read everything that you have written.
Thank you Sveta, my Light, for bringing your brilliance to shine on me.