Not Always So

It's not easy to face what causes fear, rightly and wrongly. Some of what I write here constitutes a way for me to grapple with these subjects, and with those fears.

Though at times I find it overwhelming--prospects of my personal journey taking painful turns and ending, as well as the larger scale prospects I more often write about here--I don't dwell on all this as much as might be suggested by what appears here. Nor should anyone dwell on all of this too much.

Concentrating on the play of consciousness in time, which is all we clearly have, is a more pleasant way of living, though it doesn't dispel an essential sadness. Some philosophies that advocate such an approach--usually though not exclusively forms or derivations of Buddhism --acknowledge this sadness as an appropriate response, though elements of joy are also part of it.

Consciousness of being in the world is a tricky thing. It takes hints from the hyper-reality of some dreams, it's often inspired by nature, and the easily derided emotions easily evoked by children and animals, or by beauty in all its forms, warm and cool. Meditation is a tool specifically designed for such consciousness of the moment, but I also use forms of writing that don't appear here, at least by my authorship. And then there are conversations and other relations, and the more physical involvement, including music, the long vigorous walk, and Zen and the art of shooting hoops.

I mention this here and now because recent posts and quite probably future ones accent the gloomier prospects and aspects of life today. All of this is important, it's a responsibility as well as part of life--we do like to figure things out, as well as to do what we can to make possible a better future. But we're here such a short time. We ought to take it in, and enjoy what we can.