The other morning when I was out for a walk, I was suddenly overwhelmed with a powerful sensation. For a moment, just for a moment, I was taken to a very special place. Bliss: it is difficult to have one of these moments, isn’t it? You need calm, bright sunshine, and all your material needs to be met. But, do you? The answer, of course, is that you do not need anything exterior to you. The adversity and chaos that, naturally, swirl around in the physical world need you to accept them into your consciousness. Only in this way are these influences real and able to have an impact on your day or your life, for that matter.
The illusion of permanence
Now and forever: I saw this sign on a building recently. It got me to thinking: this is a concept that imbues our society, certainly from an educational perspective. I get a degree or degrees and this allows me some level of entitlement for the rest of my life. My diplomas segue into an excellent job and a wonderful existence. But, unfortunately, this is not reality.
Forgive yourself
We have all done things in life that we consider egregious, events that we would rather forget. However, you can’t. Your obligation, as a human being, is to make amends: go to the aggrieved party and give your apology, and give it sincerely. Now, many times, most times, in fact, your efforts will be rebuffed. The majority of people do not accept contrition easily. You are thus left with double the grief. The first being the realization that you have erred and the second torment is to have your pleas rebuffed. Your pain has no bounds.
To be at peace
The story of the titanic (1) is an evocative one. The passengers knew in a short period of time that the ship was going to sink and most were facing imminent death. Statistically, your chances of survival were slim. And yet, the vast majority of people conducted themselves in a respectful and polite manner. (2) Why, when the inevitable was at hand? This disaster could be used as a metaphor in our modern society – either for the inevitable environmental collapse or with our earthly extraction.
Will an education make me just?
You would think that an education would give a person some moral parameters, wouldn’t you? The more educated you become, the more sensitive you are to the needs of humanity — the concerns of the Common Good – that sort of idea. This is a truly naïve premise, however — being more educated, many times, makes you more deceitful and ruthless.