Sidewalk Bends

“Enlightenment” and “want,” or “desire” are two contradictory forces. Whether these desires include the desire for material gains, worldly gains, or whether they include the want for peace, wisdom or knowledge, they distract from that which is. A desire for change is not necessarily bad, though that is often based on judgment dictated by our upbringing and expectations.

The act of wanting something is like a great hand being placed in a river and trying to redirect the flow of the water. The water will continue to flow. Which direction it flows is not by our choice. We may try to change the flow of the water by placing boulders in its path to prevent or redirect it but no matter what we do, it will keep coming. In some cases we are more successful than others, and what we desire comes to fruition.

However, what comes as a result of our actions is not necessarily what is meant to be. We are allowed that choice nonetheless. The water that was once flowing may stop and all that lies beyond may go to waste, or a new path may be created and what was once dead or inconceivable is given life. But what happens when we are gone, or there is more than one person or being who tries to exert their will on this river? Whose choice is the right choice? Whose choice prevails? Our desires may lead us in the same direction, or they may have us at each other’s throats.

Regardless of these desires, the river that is life continues long after we are gone. So although we may want some form of enlightenment and we may think we have a method of achieving this, the very desire that leads us to it, and the inclination that brings it to our attention, are the very things prevent us from understanding it. With each desire we change the very thing we seek.

Spiritual understanding and peace are not just found in meditation. They are not just found in churches, mosques and other places of worship. Life itself is a spiritual experience.

Open your eyes from your meditative sleep and see all that is in front of you. There is no duality of body and spirit for all are the same. One need not escape the physical life in order to see and experience a spiritual life. Like two hands clasped together, they are the same, for hand in hand they go.

When we attempt to compartmentalize our spirituality, we defeat the purpose. We separate ourselves and place ourselves into a seemingly protective bubble. Instead of gaining understanding, all we have done is insulate ourselves from the parts that we have yet to accept. When we can learn to have the same peace outside of the bubble as inside of the bubble, then we have begun to understand ourselves.

Only when we bring the inside to the outside, can we fully embrace existence. God is not in a jar. Peace is not in a jar. Unconditional love is not in a jar. When we can share these with others without hiding from ourselves and without forcing another to be someone else, then we have found peace.

When the water flows let it be. Let it fall through every crack and crevice. Let it flow over every rock and leaf. When the water flows, let it follow the creeks and rivers. Let it nourish the thirsty. When the water flows, let it trickle down from the highest peak to the lowest valley. Let it bathe and cleanse. Let it refresh and bring life. When the water flows, bring it to the table of those who would drink. When the water flows, save not for tomorrow, but bask in the infinite. When the water flows…

If someone cannot understand you, do not force understanding upon them.
Share yourself.
Share your beliefs and expose your soul.

If someone speaks badly of you, do not try to justify yourself.
Take comfort in being yourself.
Take comfort that they too will find themselves.

If someone disagrees with you, do not try to convince them otherwise.
Speak the truth.
Speak plainly of what lays in your heart.

If someone seeks a confrontation, do not add to the fire.
Seek a peaceful resolution.
Seek understanding from all sides.

Share your path with another that you may illuminate the darkness. Bring love to those who would deny it for themselves. Do not make others as you, but allow others to light the way.

When I watch movies, I sometimes take notes.
When I speak to people, I sometimes take notes.
When I’m staring off into the sky, I sometimes take notes.
When I’m walking and thoughts pop into my head, I sometimes take notes.
When I’m taking notes, I sometimes take more notes.

Epiphanies, moments of realization, sparks of enlightenment, whatever you want to call them, happen for us all. How we decide to act on those moments of realization is up to each of us. Some dismiss them. Some write them down as I have on occasion, and others still try to capture them as if they were pearls in the sky. There are times in life however, when we must put down that pen, or put away that keyboard, or quit trying to capture that moment for posterity, and act on it. Those moments of realization mean nothing without bringing them forward into our lives, rather than allowing them to fade away. We can best bring joy to this world by bringing the joy we each have within to others. We can best express the Creator’s love, by expressing the love we have within. Stop taking notes or getting lost in wonderment, and be.

If you see a crack of light, do not run towards it, for you are already there.
If someone promises enlightenment, do not rush towards them, for you are already there.
If someone promises the heavens, do not rush towards them, for you are already there.

No one can promise anything to you that you have not already accepted.

There are some who are eager for this life to end. They imagine riches, beautiful women, and a fantastical paradise awaiting them behind some veiled existence. Some see the next life as a reward for the things done in this life, while others see it as a natural progression of existence. For others still, some believe that all the mysteries of the world, seen and unseen, will be revealed to them, as if death in and of itself were some great epiphany. But what if none of these things were true? What if there were no riches and no virgins, or acres of green pastures awaiting us? What if enlightenment and the understanding of all that was, was not something that came automatically? What if peace remained a choice, just as it is now in this life? Would we hasten death’s door? Would we continue to damn this life, hoping that the next would bring something greater?

Rather than being so quick to judge this life, and to dismiss all that it brings, perhaps it is time to look closer. There is no guarantee in death. There is no guarantee of a next life or another life. And though we may think we know what is to come, perhaps what is around the corner is also right in front of us. Peace is now. Understanding is now. Love is now. Life is now. We are now, and yet the soul is eternal.

photo: LIFE Magazine

I like to walk on cliffs. Be careful, don’t follow me.
I like to walk in quick sand. Be careful, don’t follow me.
I like to walk the narrowest path. Be careful, don’t follow me.
I like to walk a crooked line. Be careful, don’t follow me.
I like to walk through fire. Be careful, don’t follow me.
I like to play with the other side. Be careful, don’t follow me.

If you can see past the illusion, come walk with me.
If you can put aside our differences, come walk with me.
If you can cast aside your doubt, come walk with me.
If you can understand, shhh. Come walk with me.

Can you trace the root of what you know to a source? Can you trace the root of what you feel to a source? How far can you go? How far are you willing to go? Who is the definitive source? What is the definitive source? Many claim to know and many claim to understand, but how many are willing to say, “I don’t know. I don’t know, but I know what I feel.” We feel what we feel and no more. We think we know what we know and no more. When will you trust what you feel?