How Do You Feel? — Like an Open Book (OM001)

• ¶ Of Roles In Relation to the World ↴
• ¶ Then What of the State of the World? ↴
• ¶ Of Religion and Spirituality – The Collective Mind ↴
• ¶ Of Nature and Ecosystem — For Symbiosis ↴
• ¶ In Personal Life as a Human Creature ↴
• ¶ Of Them and All of Us — The Sentient Beings ↴
• ¶ Of Myself at Core — Without References ↴

"How do you feel?", asked an old friend. Well, hello old friend. It's been a while, and thanks for asking. I'm quite alright.

The existential vexation that once drove me to the ends of the world and the summits beyond has vanished.

All of this is a weave of patterns, formations whooshing through space, as it may, and I am at ease with that.

There is no me that identifies with any of it as a lasting reality, and with that, there is a certain relief. There is a certain distance that allows for the fullness of experience. Feeling all right.

Of Roles In Relation to the World ¶

"Then how do you feel in the roles you take in relation to the world?"

Indeed, for all of this comes to me, to the planes of my presence, this composite being, and I have to relate to it. I relate to it from a certain orbit, a neutral stance that keeps me clear from projection and meddling, and with that I have the luxury of tasting, seeing, hearing, the emotions, the colors, the textures of all that is, as the art of life without being mesmerized by it.

Instead, like a curious child, I watch it unfold. Tthe full spectrum from light to dark and back again, whatever the display. I appreciate it.

Then What of the State of the World? ¶

"Then what of the world? You, the citizen of the world, something of a cosmopolitan, how do you feel about that?"

As you may have heard in recent rants, it is all going to hell in a handbasket. We have all these hedonistic hamsters populating the planet, and we have misleaders, egomaniacs, profiteers, steering the show in a parasitic system that is trying to sap the world dry, generating untold suffering in the process.

That's all quite unfortunate and sad to see, yet it is also the pattern of our times, a part of the cycle, so there is a certain equanimity in witnessing all of that. And be that as it may, I do like to stand and tap dance on my soapbox every once in a while, so that's there.

Of Religion and Spirituality – The Collective Mind ¶

"And how do you feel about religion, spirituality, all of that? You used to dabble in that for decades."

Again, yes, there is value in it, and it has to be respected for the role it has in steering the flows of the collective mind.

But again, a melancholic note. So much of the root teaching, the essence that was once packaged for particular peoples, in particular symbols, is taken as a literal reading, the wisdom and essence of it, all but lost.

Now, what am I going to do about it? All of that is so deeply rigged into organizational structures and power plays. I have absolutely no interest in injecting myself into it or meddling with it. It all goes down its merry road at some point. They will all collapse, and perhaps the residue, some essence, will remain. We remain waiting for that.

Of Nature and Ecosystem — For Symbiosis ¶

"And how do you feel about the world, as in nature, the ecosystem, the living organism we humans also inhabit?"

Well, I am here, living on the hills in the middle of nature, one of the few things that remains a constant source of solace, harmony in my life. What the world is doing in raping Mother Nature, exploiting, extracting the resources in trivial pursuits, it's a travesty.

At the end of the day, not much I can do at scale, but in here, on the hills, we are crafting our little ecosystem, interacting, trying to be symbiotic with nature. So I do feel certain warmth and comfort with nature.

In Personal Life as a Human Creature ¶

"And what of your personal life, as a human creature in your immediate context?"

Yes, I am married, and we also have a zoo of animals, twenty odd cats and three dogs. There's the random flock of birds around. And it's a jolly little system, with its ups and downs, with its rewards, its challenges – and all of that is the micro-version of the great world.

The same patterns cast into a different context. It's a path of evolution, and I am pleased to be in it. I'm grateful for the immediate teachings that life brings me.

Of Them and All of Us — The Sentient Beings ¶

"Then how do you feel about me, them, all of us, the sentient beings?"

Again, I seem to be landing on melancholic notes. The world being as it is, suffering is rather at a peak. Not that we live in the midst of medieval plagues. The suffering is of a different order. Psychological, mental. Agony, anxiety, stress, fear. All of that is escalated.

And I wish there is more I could do about it. I cannot, I ... if I could, I would – but in practice I cannot streamline all things for everyone. I have neither the resources, nor truly the will, in consideration of the fact that all of this is for our growth, our evolution. We evolve as we cross over our challenges.

There is, however, the aspect of alleviating suffering – the experience of suffering. There may be pain. There need not be the claustrophobia of suffering and unease associated, etc. But then again, it's not like anyone really lends an ear to any of that.

So, as it may, each on their own paths in life, learning the lessons they must learn, and with sympathy for all the struggles, and joy for all of your joys. May you be well on your journey and come to a point of reconciliation.

Of Myself at Core — Without References ¶

"And then how do you feel about yourself, at your core, without reference to any of this?"

Well, I don't really. Whatever that happens, the roles that emerge from the environment, I play them through, as is appropriate. Whatever that I can do to help, really. That's all. I don't invest feeling, and attachment to that feeling, into any of it. Feelings come and go, as the situations, come and go. That's all.

There is a backyard I hang out at, quiet and peaceful. That's where you find me. So, that's the long, short story of how I feel. Keep it well. Be real.