My Current Viewpoint on Existence
The sanctity of life is a gift that all beings probably (or hopefully) acknowledge regularly, a gift that surpasses anything else simply because to experience the mystery and magic of life we have to embrace, experience and participate in it.
I only have my own observation and experience to base my beliefs and viewpoints on, I admit that my personal belief that I am an eternal spirit is simply a deep seated one based on my own desire to not just simply fizzle out one fine day and cease to exist.
Throughout my life I have experienced people that I love live and die, I even orchestrated their funerals in such a way that their lives would be celebrated and acknowledged. Based on that alone I know that bodies are temporary transient vessels.
As far as the mind goes I can observe my own memories, at times some clearer and more concise than others, at other times even based on photographs or stories that I have told myself or have been told that possibly replace the actual events that happened.
My memories ground me, comfort me, give me some sort of foundation to build upon but really they don’t matter too much because all that actually exists is now, this moment that is different than any before it. All that should concern me is how I react and respond to this precise moment I exist in plus the things that I create along the way. Even if I have lived thousands of lifetimes in different incarnations, based on my own experience I anecdotally have a bad case of amnesia. We probably all do. Maybe that’s the way it has been designed. I don’t really think that we are evolved enough at this point in our evolution to have a clear memory of all of our existence. Just a few fleeting glimpses to tantalize us!
If I get too stuck in my head I will miss what’s happening around me although I do have the ability to be introspective and extroverted at the same time, in and out. That in itself is almost incomprehensibly wonderful, it is a magnificent ability that we all have. The ability to direct our attention and consciousness. To hear sounds or not, to see our surroundings or not, to feel our body as it carries out it’s miraculous functions (or not), to communicate to others or not, to be creative or not. The list could go on and on.
Every now and again I get a glimpse of what might be experiences recalled from earlier lifetimes lived in other bodies, incarnations, experiences that seem real or at least are powerful enough to evoke a feeling of deja vu but isn’t this a bit like the memories I have of this life, shimmering, fragile recollections of existence. So even though I hate to admit it, memories to me are like trinkets that I wear to help make me feel distinctly different or to explain or justify how I respond to external stimuli in my present environment.
Underlying all of this there is “me”, whatever “me” is. Maybe in its power and simplicity I just have to accept that it is simply consciousness or a point to view whatever else exists from. Some mystical energy that is unexplainable and somewhat incomprehensible.
That is my dumbed down version of life, maybe contrived, maybe not.
What I’m getting at is that based on my own observations there are three potent factors involved in life or at least life on earth as I currently know it. Something I call “The Three Of Us”.
Body, mind and spirit.
These three components create a composite of a being, which I identify as “me”, although based on my own logic and reason the only one of these that can exist and persist is the life force that is the real “me” or spirit.
Having said that I have to admit that my body is the vehicle that I currently occupy and mostly identify with. It is the crucible in which my memories and consciousness exist and in which I reside. It is a symbol that others identify with, an integral part of my own identity. It is sort of like a car.
When it dies or deteriorates, gets sick, fat or mis-formed, when it doesn’t work properly or isn’t constantly created this can cause unhappiness and distress not only for me but for the other people who love me or rely on me.
My body is a gift that planet earth and the physical universe has loaned me to look after for a finite amount of time.
It is an integral part of the survival and continuation of my species and as such I have a responsibility to care for it, feed it well, nurture it and be cognizant of the wondrous construct that I have been granted to exist in during this moment in time.
The one thing that all of us humans have in common is that our bodies will die and return to the earth. This will surely cause a certain amount of distress, anxiety, loss, hopelessness for those around us. Some of us will live relatively long lives and others will be cut down by illness, accidents, pestilence and disease, violence, mishaps and such. None of us want the people we love to die but they surely will or at least their bodies will cease to exist at some point apart from in our memories and hearts.
The beauty of being part of the human race is our ability to communicate with each other, to share new ideas and discoveries, to be inspired, to not have to do all the research, discovery and work all on our own. That is why we have researchers, scientists, teachers, gurus, philosophers. We are so privileged to possess consciousness, brains, minds and abilities that allow us to share the myriad information that is being constantly discovered and uncovered by our brothers and sisters of the human race.
Our biggest enemy is thinking that we know it all already. To learn anything you must first acknowledge the “you don’t know”. As our skills evolve and as we stand on the shoulders of those who came before, new knowledge and greater understanding will potentially be uncovered and unleashed. These new ideas and discoveries will not be accepted immediately, existing dogma will challenge them and attempt to invalidate them or even destroy them. Often it will take decades for the new ideas to be integrated into existing “mainstream” procedures and information resources.
Unfortunately in this day and age, based on observation, the acceptance and dissemination of new ideas, methodology and procedures will be largely determined by profitability over workability. If there is money to be made, power to be held onto, certain vested interests will even withhold new ideas and methodology in order to protect outmoded and potentially unworkable dogma.
Unfortunately this is the way of the world and it’s going to take a few brave souls to stick to their guns and at least give these new ideas a go and to prove or disprove the workability and then to share their results and observations.
But underlying all of this, we are each individually and ultimately responsible for our own appreciation of life, our own health and our own journey through the myriad of information, dogma and what works for us and also gets the results that we desire.
I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I have a desire to remain open to new ideas, new realities, new creations. I have no desire or need to hold onto anything from the past, I strive to not believe in things as a crutch, I need to believe based on my own experience and results ….. simply because I endeavour to exist in the present and ultimately have nothing to fear, life is fluid and it’s OK to get things wrong from time to time. You can always change your mind. My wish is to remain open to new ideas, my own personal realisations and epiphanies and to be open to and embrace the viewpoints, creations and discoveries of other beings whether I personally like or agree with them or not.
