Task Master
or
Reflecting on Hu'manity
"The rocks are where they are - this is their will. The rivers flow - this is their will. The birds fly - this is their will. Human Beings talk - this is their will. The seasons change, heaven sends down rain or snow, the earth occasionally shakes, the waves roll, the stars shine - each of them flows its own will. To be is to will and so is to become." - D.T. Suzuki[/size]or
Reflecting on Hu'manity
Perhaps not one of D.T.'s better quotations, but it certainly gives one pause to think, even for a brief moment before returning to their task.
How about -
"To be a man of knowledge one needs to be light and fluid." - Yaqui Mystic
My guess on this is it would take a man of knowledge to know what this Mystic means. Others would more than likely shake their heads and return to their task.
"If you wish to drown do not torture yourself with shallow water." - Hungarian Proverb
I easily imagine one silently repeating this Proverb over and over in their head after returning to their task... a mantra or a
contemplation.
Suzuki comes back to mind with "Human Beings talk - this is their will." We are a chatty species aren't we? All these quotations, these words strung together to make theories, philosophies, fictional imaginings, histories, religions... wonderings and wanderings on this or that. We love our voice, our ideas, our thoughts to become...
We make sounds to fill the air not only with our words but with the sounds our hands can make and we call it 'music.' Wonderful music that speaks a language more universal than our words, whose meanings are far more limited than the music we make to speak of and to the spirit of our life in all it's varied forms.
Amidst all the sounds that humans create, none can be more annoying (or should be) than the sounds of war... the guns firing bullets at their targets, the loud sounds of canon exploding, the bombs of death and destruction meant to serve only one purpose - to kill. And of course, the screams of fear and death not knowing if you're the next to be slain in these senseless wars over what..?
Humans we are, and act according to our will as best as we can interpret that will of ours. But we're not sure... not absolutely positive that what we do is the best that can be done but only the most obvious thing(s) we can do at the moment. There is so much to be done we just tackle our tasks to keep moving on. But moving on is not always forward, at least in direction. We may take the long way to achieve the necessary. We often take the most expedient way to hurry it along... we don't really enjoy those tasks too much...
We've gotten a lot done over the time we've been occupants of this planet Earth. Over 2 million years have passed since we became and here we are, so many, many years later and we are still talking, still chattering about this and about that... some of which we listen to and so much that goes in one ear and out the other. Where we are headed is always a great subject, especially for the thinkers. The not so much thinkers don't give that question to much time... there's a lot we humans have to do and thinking abstractly is not a high priority. Good thing we have folks that like to grow crops and raise protein and have interest in health and well-being.
So many tasks and so many words. We've evolved with our tasks and our words... possibly more than we've ever had. This may be simply due to numbers... 6+billion strong creates that many more tasks and that many more words... questions. in particular. Imagine 6+ billion questions every 3 minutes or so seeking answers...
The cacophony of it all can undermine the peace that we all seem to want as an escape from all that we do.
cecil
15 noviembre 2009
Picture of the Week:
Reflective Tree
Thanking your mind for getting married is an interesting slant on the topic -