Inner Dialogues or Questioning the Tao
I consider myself a “paradoxicologist”—one who observes and tries to live in harmony with paradox. The challenge is straddling the middle way while holding the tension of opposites. Sounds like a new ride at Disneyland—riding a roller coaster while the walls move in!
Does it ever feel weird to be who you are and not be able to see yourself as others do? Are we separate entities or truly One? One what? One with? One of a kind? One other? Wondrous? One wonders. The You, the I, the We, the Me—who could It be?
Sometimes I awake utterly amazed and usually relieved to find myself where I am.
Sometimes the only way to get away from the bad guys is to wake up!
I worry well. What would freedom from worry feel like? Where do the worried thoughts go when I stop thinking about them? Gee, when I let go of the thoughts, I find myself smack dab in the present. What an interesting place!
I like the thought that the 60s revolution is emerging as an aging Boomer r/evolution. Love-ins, yes! Bell bottoms, no!
There’s a little hindrance, a pebble in my shoe that prevents me from truly trusting, fully yielding to the Other. What if I took my shoe off and shook it?
What signposts can we count on along the journey? Is there anything we can count on beyond change? So, who’s counting already? I’m banking on Heart medicine and dying gracefully!
What if I was isolated for a period of time with no distractions but pen and paper, would things become clearer or would I just fill up a lot of paper?
Give me intimacy or give me solitude to calm the noise in my head.
The mind can be such a noisy place! I’m learning to push the crowds away by spreading my wings.
What if we were to look at everything as energy first, matter second? Instead of mind OVER matter, we’d see energy IN matter. Does it really matter???
What if we were to look for the sacred in the ordinary? What d’ya suppose we’d see? Could it be....LIFE!
What if we lived within The Mystery, being comfortable not having to know the answers? We’d probably laugh a lot more!
When in doubt—send blessings, give thanks and pass the chocolate!
Let's not get too holy or rigid on our path, because we have no idea where we're going to get dropped off or what we'll discover at the next on or off-ramp. What if we used "driving the freeway" as a metaphor for The Journey? Are you tail- gating? Driving too fast or too slow? Taking side roads? What condition is your vehicle in? Have you had a tune-up lately?
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
I used to suffer from a very bad attitude. Then one day I took myself aside, put my arm around my shoulders and said:
“You know, self, your attitude stinks!”
“Really?” I replied to myself.
“Yes, really. You are so cynical towards just about everything in your western reality. You mock our religions, our customs, our politics, our medical system, corporate America!”
“Yeah, so?”
“You act as if you’re an alien to this planet waiting for it all to go up in smoke!”
“Yeah, so?”
“Enough already! You’ve just got to change your attitude. It doesn’t serve you.”
“Why? I find perverse pleasure and comfort in being cynical towards the world I inhabit. It all seems so absurd to me!”
“It is absurd and remarkable and insane and divine and terrifying and ecstatic! It’s a miracle that we’re even here shuffling around inside these bodies, on this planet in this galaxy.....!”
“Yeah, it’s bloody amazing!”
“How about just stretching your attitude a bit to include the opposite pole? “
“Like the North Pole? Oh, you mean that nothing and everything matters anyway?”
“Uh, well, maybe....”
“Or, I’m not OK and you’re not OK and that’s OK?”
“Ummmmmm..........”
“And that ‘stressed’ spelled backwards is ‘desserts’?!”
“Oh, boy. OK, it is absurd and amazing and it doesn’t matter, and I’m going to bed.........Gee, I feel so much better after having made an attitude adjustment!”........
WHO’S CRAZY?
Do you ever worry about being......CRAZY? So, what’s crazy? I spent the first half of my life worrying about and thinking I was crazy and the second half worrying about and thinking I might be normal. I have been resisting “normal” and the status quo most of my life. Actually, I thought “normal” was inhabited by dead people and invented by the Church!
SO, WHAT’S NORMAL?
Conventional, customary, habitual, regular, uniform, average, mediocre, typical, plain, routine.
We've become a world full of tattletales and moralists, so I guess that’s normal. Taking things too seriously and lacking humor is normal. Worshiping money and material things is normal. Hoarding stuff seems to be normal. Lying definitely is normal. To not take responsibility and sue are normal. Sexual harassment is normal. To look the other way is normal. To sell arms to the bad guys is normal. To carry a gun and be ready to use it is definitely normal. To foul our earth is very normal. To feel guilty, ashamed and unworthy appear to be normal.
SO, WHAT’S CRAZY?
Eccentric, kooky, absurd, comical, farcical, foolish, hilarious, laughable, ludicrous, outrageous, ridiculous, silly, bizarre, goofy. How about berserk, lunatic, mad, muddled, insane, frenzied, maniacal, out of control, violent?
Crazy can certainly be borderline, but I’m referring to “good” crazy, like, “crazy, man!” To be crazy is to be playful and off the wall. It’s also to be cynical and skeptical of status quo/normal. It’s to find comfort in paradox and humor in the cosmic joke and see life as a Divine crapshoot. Crazy is not having to know the answers and trusting in the Great Mystery and the human spirit. I still believe that all you need is love and that peace is the only way, and that’s really crazy! To be crazy is to be human. To be normal is to be human. We just need a sweet balance of each to keep from becoming a robot or a terrorist!
Does it ever feel weird to be who you are and not be able to see yourself as others do? Are we separate entities or truly One? One what? One with? One of a kind? One other? Wondrous? One wonders. The You, the I, the We, the Me—who could It be?
Sometimes I awake utterly amazed and usually relieved to find myself where I am.
Sometimes the only way to get away from the bad guys is to wake up!
I worry well. What would freedom from worry feel like? Where do the worried thoughts go when I stop thinking about them? Gee, when I let go of the thoughts, I find myself smack dab in the present. What an interesting place!
I like the thought that the 60s revolution is emerging as an aging Boomer r/evolution. Love-ins, yes! Bell bottoms, no!
There’s a little hindrance, a pebble in my shoe that prevents me from truly trusting, fully yielding to the Other. What if I took my shoe off and shook it?
What signposts can we count on along the journey? Is there anything we can count on beyond change? So, who’s counting already? I’m banking on Heart medicine and dying gracefully!
What if I was isolated for a period of time with no distractions but pen and paper, would things become clearer or would I just fill up a lot of paper?
Give me intimacy or give me solitude to calm the noise in my head.
The mind can be such a noisy place! I’m learning to push the crowds away by spreading my wings.
What if we were to look at everything as energy first, matter second? Instead of mind OVER matter, we’d see energy IN matter. Does it really matter???
What if we were to look for the sacred in the ordinary? What d’ya suppose we’d see? Could it be....LIFE!
What if we lived within The Mystery, being comfortable not having to know the answers? We’d probably laugh a lot more!
When in doubt—send blessings, give thanks and pass the chocolate!
Let's not get too holy or rigid on our path, because we have no idea where we're going to get dropped off or what we'll discover at the next on or off-ramp. What if we used "driving the freeway" as a metaphor for The Journey? Are you tail- gating? Driving too fast or too slow? Taking side roads? What condition is your vehicle in? Have you had a tune-up lately?
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
I used to suffer from a very bad attitude. Then one day I took myself aside, put my arm around my shoulders and said:
“You know, self, your attitude stinks!”
“Really?” I replied to myself.
“Yes, really. You are so cynical towards just about everything in your western reality. You mock our religions, our customs, our politics, our medical system, corporate America!”
“Yeah, so?”
“You act as if you’re an alien to this planet waiting for it all to go up in smoke!”
“Yeah, so?”
“Enough already! You’ve just got to change your attitude. It doesn’t serve you.”
“Why? I find perverse pleasure and comfort in being cynical towards the world I inhabit. It all seems so absurd to me!”
“It is absurd and remarkable and insane and divine and terrifying and ecstatic! It’s a miracle that we’re even here shuffling around inside these bodies, on this planet in this galaxy.....!”
“Yeah, it’s bloody amazing!”
“How about just stretching your attitude a bit to include the opposite pole? “
“Like the North Pole? Oh, you mean that nothing and everything matters anyway?”
“Uh, well, maybe....”
“Or, I’m not OK and you’re not OK and that’s OK?”
“Ummmmmm..........”
“And that ‘stressed’ spelled backwards is ‘desserts’?!”
“Oh, boy. OK, it is absurd and amazing and it doesn’t matter, and I’m going to bed.........Gee, I feel so much better after having made an attitude adjustment!”........
WHO’S CRAZY?
Do you ever worry about being......CRAZY? So, what’s crazy? I spent the first half of my life worrying about and thinking I was crazy and the second half worrying about and thinking I might be normal. I have been resisting “normal” and the status quo most of my life. Actually, I thought “normal” was inhabited by dead people and invented by the Church!
SO, WHAT’S NORMAL?
Conventional, customary, habitual, regular, uniform, average, mediocre, typical, plain, routine.
We've become a world full of tattletales and moralists, so I guess that’s normal. Taking things too seriously and lacking humor is normal. Worshiping money and material things is normal. Hoarding stuff seems to be normal. Lying definitely is normal. To not take responsibility and sue are normal. Sexual harassment is normal. To look the other way is normal. To sell arms to the bad guys is normal. To carry a gun and be ready to use it is definitely normal. To foul our earth is very normal. To feel guilty, ashamed and unworthy appear to be normal.
SO, WHAT’S CRAZY?
Eccentric, kooky, absurd, comical, farcical, foolish, hilarious, laughable, ludicrous, outrageous, ridiculous, silly, bizarre, goofy. How about berserk, lunatic, mad, muddled, insane, frenzied, maniacal, out of control, violent?
Crazy can certainly be borderline, but I’m referring to “good” crazy, like, “crazy, man!” To be crazy is to be playful and off the wall. It’s also to be cynical and skeptical of status quo/normal. It’s to find comfort in paradox and humor in the cosmic joke and see life as a Divine crapshoot. Crazy is not having to know the answers and trusting in the Great Mystery and the human spirit. I still believe that all you need is love and that peace is the only way, and that’s really crazy! To be crazy is to be human. To be normal is to be human. We just need a sweet balance of each to keep from becoming a robot or a terrorist!
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