Everything changes

“Experience life in all possible ways --
good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light,
summer-winter. Experience all the dualities.
Don't be afraid of experience, because
the more experience you have, the more
mature you become.” ― Osho

Life is replete with great joy but also sadness. Sadly, in our competency-addicted culture, we think it (sadness) something to get through, to be on the other side of; and then (not for everyone) it appears to give them bragging rights.

What if instead we practised sadness or grief or brokenheartedness?

I know what you're thinking. Here we go again, another faux branding exercise around the human experience.

Possibly, but for me, as I look back on my life, I realise how much I've stuffed down or skimmed in the hope of never having to face myself and my demons. And it did me no good. No good I say. No, all it did it was make me weary in not understanding why all the thrashing and expectation of things working out, lead to a slightly hollowed out life.

And now?

It's not so much I've turned a corner but being wrecked on schedule isn't something to be shunned or got through in double-quick time, but to pause, reflect and invite a more beautiful question into my heart:

How can I be more human?

Just to be clear, there's nothing to fix, to sort or make better.

There's just life and death.

And that excites me in equal measure.

Blessings,
Julian

Comments

Kindness et al.

Now, more than ever, we need to find a way through this collapsing world . Yes, there are lots of strategies, templates and exhortation we could employ but, truthfully, we know in our hearts that if only there was a little less hate and a lot more kindness the world would be a much better place - in so many ways. Then again, the trope has been done to death and look where it's got us. Not very far. Perhaps it is that we've an aversion to opening ourselves up in case we're taken advantage of or worse still. Perhaps it is that we don't feel it. It's more act than truth. Perhaps there's no quid pro quo. (Does there or should there be?) Truth is, I've no more an idea than you why the world is too often riven with a lust for hate when it should be in swoon to kindness. That doesn't (of course) stop me wondering. And wonder I will alongside all those other issues that continue to haunt me. Blessings, Julian

Zen Mountain Monastery

I've been listening to the ZMM podcast for a while now. The head Abbot, Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Roshi Master is expert on talking about Master Dogen. Enjoy Julian

Back in the creative groove

“The receptivity of the artist must never be confused with passivity.” ― Rollo May , The Courage to Create It's been a while since I've felt like this. Don't ask me why, but I couldn't summon anything more than enough creative juice to produce this blog and a few posts and recordings to Patreon. I know it's tempting fate to report on my renewed sense of purpose but, right now, I've this overwhelming sense of needing to create: poetry brush calligraphy sketching photography and books. I don't have a modus operandi. I show up. I either write to my computer or I sit at my other desk on the other side of the room which I reserved for the other stuff, and wait... If something happens, it happens. If it doesn't. So what! I don't know your thing but even if you have to work for 'The Man', never forget that under all those layers of self-doubt and negative thinking lies a creative genius. I'm serious. ...

Julian Summerhayes

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