I'm awestruck at the concept of existence, and of being aware of it. I feel an almost overwhelming love for humanity in general, and for mother nature. The littlest things amaze me... I was walking the other day at a beautiful state park and there were these butterflies linked together (I've never seen that before), and they would fly from here to there; and after a while they flew straight up, up, very high. I observed the whole "spectacle" with total amazement.
Sometimes I stop everything I'm doing (if even for a moment), and meditate. Even thought I don't consider myself a real practitioner of meditation, the more I try it, the more I've begun to see it as one of the most spiritually-fulfilling activities one can undertake.
To me, the payoff (as it were) is when, during meditation, you "sense" a flash of "understanding." Some readers have probably heard or read about the concept of nirvana. The way I would describe the experience is as if the concepts of time, the past, the future, cease to be real, and the here and now is magnified along with a faint brush of consciousness with the concept of oneness, of all things being connected.
Either way, I don't think that kind of experience can be conveyed in writing, or speech. My take is that it would make sense to those who have experienced it...
I'm not worried about what happens after, because it's not important. I'm grateful for the here and now, and again, I'm in awe of the concept of consciousness and awareness. For example, being aware that the earth is traveling through space at 70,000 miles an hour. Or watching a flock of noisy geese land at the nearby lake or park.
I don't have a need to explain any of it. I'm not interested into defining it with debates related to religion, agnosticism, atheism. I'm at peace with just letting it (existence and consciousness) be until it is no more.
The other day two very nice young ladies knocked on my door. I opened, say hello, and they proceeded to tell me about the good news from the Lord. I used to be kind of curt with them before, but not anymore. I'm more patient and gentle. I see the eagerness in their eyes. They are true believers. I thank them for stopping by, take their little booklet and wish them a good day. And off they go to the next door...
Of course, I'm not into organized religion, and again, I'm not going to be harsh about the reasons why since I know many readers find solace and comfort in it.
Tonight I watched three shows on MSNBC: Rachel Maddow; The Ed Show; and Lawrence O'Donnell.
As I watched them, and noticed that all three were focusing on the same inane and totally unimportant things (Iowa Caucuses next week), I kept thinking about how bizarre the world can be once all the levers of power are taken over by debased and immoral individuals who do so with the sole objective of enriching themselves and exploiting people and the environment.
And when I think about these things, and with the help meditation, I start to see the very huge gap between truth and reality, and what we are being exposed to every second of the day through media outlets, and corrupted institutions.
And it gets me thinking... So here we are; superstition is venerated and exalted and promoted as a good thing across the entire society. Because of graft and corruption, the levers of power are taken over by debased parasitic individuals who also use that control to pollute the entire media landscape in order to control, manipulate, and subjugate people.
And this causes people to speak in completely nonsensical ways, framing issues in terms of Liberals versus Conservatives, etc. Using false constructs.
It's not that complicated. There are people who are sane, rational (and therefore secular when it comes to government). And there are people who are just plain bigots, ignorant, religious fanatics, etc. You want a society led and populated by of the former, and less of the latter, of course.
And why is it that sometimes it looks like speaking truth to power, or plainly pointing out facts, and advocating for equal justice under the law for all, and for the defense of environment, and against war profiteers, and corruption, and graft, and influence peddling, and exploitation, is consider "radical" or "outside the mainstream?"
Is there is something to the adage that "the inmates have taken over the asylum?" Are things turned around, up is down, down is up?
Do sane people need to rally around "The Church of Sanity and Reason" and be as wild-eye about it as the most fervent religious fundamentalist? Is that what it takes? Is it about tapping into something bigger, deeper, primordial, than just plain old reasonableness and common sense?
I think that the disconnect between reality and truth, and the manufactured reality we are exposed to every single day does immense damage to individuals, and to society. It creates a generalized and collective sense of anxiety and uneasiness. It is used to manipulate us into accepting the imposition of tyranny (i.e., PATRIOT Act), and into justifying wars of aggression and profiteering, like the war in Iraq.
So my advice is, do whatever you can to limit your exposure to the harmful effects of TV (especially); try to stop and "smell the flowers" (meditate a little); think carefully about the effects of rampant materialism and consumerism. Try to find balance in your life.
And if you find out if the "The Church of Sanity and Reason" is formed somewhere, please do let me know. I'll join and become a an extreme fundamentalist for its cause.