The Lakota used the term The Great Mystery to describe an all encompassing life force that pervaded all the living things and all the earth. I have always liked that term because it implies that we will never fully know the reasons for things. There will always be mystery to life. Modern human culture often tries to find answers to everything. Scientific advances are always breaking new frontiers. Manipulating genetic coding, trying to create artificial intelligence, exploring the furthest reaches of space, ect. These kinds of advances in human ingenuity and understanding have propelled our society forward and many times they spur on a sense of wonder. But despite all this there is much left unexplained and unknown. A hundred years ago the things we know and have at our disposal today would have seemed unfathomable. The problems of today would also probably never cross anyone's mind as remotely possible a hundred years ago. Who knows what a hundred years from now we will know and have and who knows what problems will face us.
But perhaps just maybe life and the forces that govern it are supposed to be a great mystery. Perhaps there are some things humans are not meant to know. Perhaps there are some things humans are not meant to do. Perhaps there are some places humans were not meant to go. Perhaps instead we should trust the mystery of the universe.
I always liked a line from the movie Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle where one of the characters says "left to it's own devices the universe tends to unfold as it should". I think that is true. The universe is believed to be about 12- 14 billion years old or perhaps older. It's time scale would be inconceivable to us. Like a fruit fly whose life span is 40-50 days would not be able to conceive of our life span. So I believe even though it may not seem it the universe and everything in it will eventually unfold as it should. We just have to play our parts and as a favorite television special of my youth used to say "let up a little on the wonder why and give your heart a try". Ours is not to know but to walk and grow. How the universe gets where it's going is a mystery perhaps meant for only it to know.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Thursday, May 12, 2016
The Role of Anger
Anger can be a pretty controversial emotion. It certainly can be destructive as the myriad cases of abuse clearly show. Many cite health risks as a result of anger. Many religious disciplines try to teach us how to control and let go of our anger. But what does nature teach us about anger?
In nature animals get angry all the time. Sometimes they are in pain and will lash out at others to let them know to leave them alone. Other times they get angry at rivals or those wishing to do them harm. However the anger always seems to serve a purpose and is short lived. The anger fuels adrenaline to them to take action to get a message across which is usually along the lines of don't mess with me. It burns hot and fast and then is over with once the competition is over or the message has been delivered. All parties continue to go about there business. Sometimes their may be hurt feelings which can be mediated out by a third party but usually everyone understands it's momentary necessity and can work past it. In nature it is almost like anger is a powerful weapon to be used only when necessary and not for lengthy periods of time. Kind of like a power-up in a video game that gives you extra powers to help you in the game but only lasts for a finite amount of time.
So it seems that nature instructs us that anger isn't necessarily bad as long as it is used sparingly and for a purpose that is needed and then quickly let go. So I try to think of anger has a hot blade. I can hold it and use it if I absolutely need to. It can be a useful tool to spur me on to action to address a problem but I can't hold it for too long or I will be burned so I must drop it quickly after it has served it's purpose. Perhaps that purpose is addressing feelings I have put off or seeking justice or confronting an issue. Whatever it may be anger can help that's why it is given to us like all emotions but like all emotions don't hold it for too long. It's a powerful and volatile one after all.
In nature animals get angry all the time. Sometimes they are in pain and will lash out at others to let them know to leave them alone. Other times they get angry at rivals or those wishing to do them harm. However the anger always seems to serve a purpose and is short lived. The anger fuels adrenaline to them to take action to get a message across which is usually along the lines of don't mess with me. It burns hot and fast and then is over with once the competition is over or the message has been delivered. All parties continue to go about there business. Sometimes their may be hurt feelings which can be mediated out by a third party but usually everyone understands it's momentary necessity and can work past it. In nature it is almost like anger is a powerful weapon to be used only when necessary and not for lengthy periods of time. Kind of like a power-up in a video game that gives you extra powers to help you in the game but only lasts for a finite amount of time.
So it seems that nature instructs us that anger isn't necessarily bad as long as it is used sparingly and for a purpose that is needed and then quickly let go. So I try to think of anger has a hot blade. I can hold it and use it if I absolutely need to. It can be a useful tool to spur me on to action to address a problem but I can't hold it for too long or I will be burned so I must drop it quickly after it has served it's purpose. Perhaps that purpose is addressing feelings I have put off or seeking justice or confronting an issue. Whatever it may be anger can help that's why it is given to us like all emotions but like all emotions don't hold it for too long. It's a powerful and volatile one after all.
Monday, May 2, 2016
No Expectations
As I have written in a previous post it is helpful to try and stay in the moment and animals in my humble opinion are great teachers of staying in the moment. But always staying present isn't completely practical. Even animals have to occasionally plan for the future. Squirrels hide away their nuts and beavers build their dams and get them ready for winter. But I think letting go of expectations of the future is where the difference lies between animals and many of us modern day humans. And the more I observed this the more it seemed the animals had the right idea and had better peace of mind.
When I walk with my dogs their is usually a general route that they follow but we definitely veer off for various reasons. Sometimes they add on extensions or we veer because they picked up the sent of something. Perhaps I turn them because something that will upset them is coming up on our usual route. Observing on these walks has taught me that you can't guarantee what's going to come your way. You have a general trajectory but it is always in flux. I noticed that it seems all animals have a general plan but are always making adjustments. For instance as this article describes the hunting tactics of the wolf are constantly changing as they test and reevaluate the situation. Is there weak and vulnerable prey, what is the best tactic for take down, do they wait it out or go on to another hunt, ect. But at the same time the hunt is carefully planned they are not just wildly running in trying to kill the first animal they come across.
I have tried using this tact of planning but always making adjustments in my life. Perhaps you get the promotion perhaps you don't, perhaps you go to college perhaps you don't, perhaps you get married perhaps you don't. We are conditioned in modern society to always hit certain milestones. We have to advance our career and settle down and get married and get a home and start a family usually by a certain age. Which if that's what you want to do there is nothing wrong with planning to do that and setting out with that objective but like my dogs be prepared to be veered off course by other developments I have learned. Maybe you get married later. Or maybe not at all due to some circumstances. Maybe you start your whole career path over again. Maybe you get divorced and have to start dating in middle age again. Maybe a great opportunity has you moving to a brand new country. All different circumstance can make us have to reevaluate and change directions.
When you get right down to it all organisms on earth are trying to find food and water, breathe, and reproduce. Essentially that is it. The myriad ways in which organisms do these things is the beauty and majesty of life on this planet. We humans are also essentially doing these things but we add on so many additional things that we forget what the essentials are. As long as you have the essentials you can chart your own individual path to happiness and when a path you weren't planning on traveling springs up before you enjoy it. It is just a unique way to achieve the essentials of life like our fellow earthlings have charted new paths to achieve these things. So I try to take a page from our animal brethren and be open to new developments. It's hard many of the times but in truth we all have our own particular paths to walk. As a famous song states "sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and in the end, it's only with yourself".
When I walk with my dogs their is usually a general route that they follow but we definitely veer off for various reasons. Sometimes they add on extensions or we veer because they picked up the sent of something. Perhaps I turn them because something that will upset them is coming up on our usual route. Observing on these walks has taught me that you can't guarantee what's going to come your way. You have a general trajectory but it is always in flux. I noticed that it seems all animals have a general plan but are always making adjustments. For instance as this article describes the hunting tactics of the wolf are constantly changing as they test and reevaluate the situation. Is there weak and vulnerable prey, what is the best tactic for take down, do they wait it out or go on to another hunt, ect. But at the same time the hunt is carefully planned they are not just wildly running in trying to kill the first animal they come across.
I have tried using this tact of planning but always making adjustments in my life. Perhaps you get the promotion perhaps you don't, perhaps you go to college perhaps you don't, perhaps you get married perhaps you don't. We are conditioned in modern society to always hit certain milestones. We have to advance our career and settle down and get married and get a home and start a family usually by a certain age. Which if that's what you want to do there is nothing wrong with planning to do that and setting out with that objective but like my dogs be prepared to be veered off course by other developments I have learned. Maybe you get married later. Or maybe not at all due to some circumstances. Maybe you start your whole career path over again. Maybe you get divorced and have to start dating in middle age again. Maybe a great opportunity has you moving to a brand new country. All different circumstance can make us have to reevaluate and change directions.
When you get right down to it all organisms on earth are trying to find food and water, breathe, and reproduce. Essentially that is it. The myriad ways in which organisms do these things is the beauty and majesty of life on this planet. We humans are also essentially doing these things but we add on so many additional things that we forget what the essentials are. As long as you have the essentials you can chart your own individual path to happiness and when a path you weren't planning on traveling springs up before you enjoy it. It is just a unique way to achieve the essentials of life like our fellow earthlings have charted new paths to achieve these things. So I try to take a page from our animal brethren and be open to new developments. It's hard many of the times but in truth we all have our own particular paths to walk. As a famous song states "sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and in the end, it's only with yourself".
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