Have you ever considered just how incredibly extraordinary the world is?
What happens to us as we grow up, that we lose the wonder? I suppose the answer’s pretty simple – we cease to see the world, and instead just pay attention to our symbols, which are dull and flat and monochromatic.
Here’s a glimpse of what the world looks like through non-dualistic eyes–
We live in a world where water drops fall right out of the sky. In fact, in some parts of the world, the water drifts down as brilliant patterned crystals. Yes, right out of the sky.
We live in a world where a little seed can fall onto the ground, and somehow, that little seed grabs up dirt and water and sunlight, mixes it all together, and makes an entire tree out of it! A tree which, by the way, will then create millions more similar seeds in its life!
We live in a world where a woman can form another living being right inside her womb. Yes, you heard that right. Inside her.
We live in a world where the sky, for goodness sake, is blue. Where the patterns of clouds or the colors of sunset form differently every single day, and will never repeat. Where you can sit across from a person (consider how unlikely a thing a person is), and simply by making a lot of weird sounds with your mouth, you can share thoughts and ideas, and perhaps via those ideas, change the whole adventure we call ‘life’.
Our world is one where waves crash against shores, and the waves never seem to run out. Where little teeny bugs can walk on ceilings and walls. Where there are animals who can fly, and animals who live way down in the darkest depths of water, and where animals build cities and invent Jell-O.
Wow.
It makes me wonder how anyone could sit down and watch TV for hours, when there is all this incredible stuff going on. How could anyone feel that life was worthless, when with a little change in perspective, they could probably sit in utter amazement at the repetition of their own breath?
Maybe instead of working so hard to make our symbolic life ‘better’, we might find ourselves happier if we just regained our ability to stand amazed at the wonders of this world.
That sounds like a pretty good life goal to me.
I could agree more.
The Northern Lights make music, you know.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy)#Auroral_sounds
Drat. That was supposed to be “I could NOT agree more.”
Ditto of Jess……the second posting.
In working with kids over the years, and in reflecting on my own tendencies of thought, I think it is because virtually none of us are taught to value to familiar as miraculous that we find so little happiness in simplicity and need ever more spectacular toys and entertainments to bolster our happiness. I’m as guilty of this as anyone, I think. I also think that learning to treasure the miraculous familiar goes a long way in helping one to view one’s life circumstances as much better than they may at first appear!
Brilliant article!
And yet we are here, bored, restless, seeking instant gratification. Time to go back to being child-like. Not childish, but child-like.
Kenton,
We sit and look out the window and inside a voice invites out to play. But, we are too busy we think while sitting in our favorite recliner. Meanwhile, the beauty of our majestic Sun in all it’s amazing splendor is setting. The wildlife, the birds and insects, the sound of a babbling brook are all within a stones throw of our backyard. But, no, something important is happening – my favorite show is about to come on television…or it’s almost time for me to get my turn on the family computer to play games or surf the internet. John lennon said it best when he said, “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.” There is life outside those walls! Life to behold in it’s wonder! The face of God and his awesome
creation is going by the wayside! Jim Morrison said, “No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn.” Our punishment is happening at the same time as our sin as we miss out on the beauty and joy that’s right outside.
Namaste,
-Jerry
Thank you everyone for all the thoughtful comments here. I love the way everyone brought their personal voice to this realization — that life is so very full and vibrant when we let it arise without interference. A thanks to all four of you — Jess, Matt, Rahul, and Jerry. You helped to bring the feeling of this article to life.
Sweetwater,
Kenton
I still wonder about the womb baby machine…
and though Jello is full of electrolights…why the food colouring?
If all this is going on, why are those who lack the wonder so resistant to it? opening up eyes in reality only comes from with in…but any out side inspiration is always welcome.
SO WHat are you wondering about today?
Strange things, eh Mj?
Today I’m wondering how the toast I just had was so dang yummy.
Glad that you can see the wonderful weirdness of it all =)
Kenton
I was a clinically-depressed individual for a long period of time. I tried some shrooms once and I just “got it”. It was so amazing to be alive, everything was beautiful and wondrous, I couldn’t understand what I did to deserve being alive and experiencing. Since I then, my depression has completely gone and I’ve been active, healthy and generally a content person.
One thing still irritates me: I want to experience that every waking moment. What you describe here is exactly what I felt at the time. It was simply beyond comment. I don’t know how to return to that spot. I spent a lot of time reading almost every single one of your articles. I’ve been a Zen practitioner for the last several months (ever since the experience) and I’m trying to figure out how lose my ego. Over the past few months, I’ve faced and dropped so many of my insecurities, I can’t believe I am here now, forward-looking.
Still, I feel something is missing, and I think it is what you describe here. In any case, I’m just here to just let you know that your articles are helpful. I will keep trying, but I’m not sure I will be able to experience things the way you experience, it just seems “beyond the veil” and I can’t raise the veil.
Hi Vik!
Wonderful story — and your feeling that you can’t full ‘get it back’ is a familiar one. As you may be hearing in your Zen experiences, the trick is literally that when we’re striving to ‘get it’, we’re undoing the possibility of experiencing the world like this. The reason is simple — our effort reinforces our sense of self, and this creates a cycle of getting lost in dualism.
Taosim, Zen, and Vedanta are all religions that attempt to guide us toward this in different ways. All the articles here are designed to do the same, though they take a wide variety of approaches. It sounds like you’re doing some great work toward Awakening, and things may very well ‘snap’ into clarity for you once you can find the way in which we naturally, like a tree growing, ‘achieve’ what we were trying to achieve with force of will or application of effort.
Thanks for writing, and if you comment on other articles that see to make sense (or make non-sense) to you, I’ll do my best to write back and be a pointing finger =)
Hugs,
Kenton