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.

The divine will is not realized through knowledge alone. Knowledge without malice is compassion. Compassion without judgment is divine love.

What can be used to enslave can also be used to set free. What can be used to cause harm, can be used to heal. What can be used to exploit can also be used to show infinite wisdom. This life can be a playground, or it can be used as a classroom. One need not destroy the will of the other, for joy not only comes from playing, but also from learning.

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?

For some there is a yearning to return while for others the thought has yet to break the surface. When the yearning is deep, speak. Speak out and be heard that your fellow man shall know who he is. Speak that your words shall fill the air and fill the hearts of all those who would listen. Wait no longer, for when the fruit is ripe, it shall feed the soul. Weep not for those who would turn their back, but allow them time to heal. Heal, they will. Be not afraid, for what shall come to pass has already been decided.

Age does not necessarily bring wisdom.
Age does not necessarily bring stature.
Age does not necessarily bring understanding.

When we pass from this plane, our words will fade.
The memories of the past will become blurred.
What once was will become but a footnote.

We can try to wipe away the pain. We can try to wipe away the memories. We can try to wipe away the words. We can even try to dig our heals into the ground. Youth is understanding under a different light, while age just shifts the context. Dream not for the past, or for the future, but for all that has always been.

Wisdom is not boasting of fantastical feats.
Wisdom is not speaking to angels.
Wisdom is not channeling the great philosophers or scientific minds of the past.
Wisdom is not putting down others.
Wisdom is not conniving.
Wisdom is not living to be 100.

Wisdom is an invitation to share.
Wisdom is compassion in the face retribution.
Wisdom is kindness without want.
Wisdom is mercy where there is none.
Wisdom is allowing one to be themselves.
Wisdom is silence in a storm of lies.

It is true that the amount of things we can learn in this life are infinite. It is also true that with each experience, and with each moment, our perceptions of our life and the world around us changes. Though some may take enjoyment in new challenges or learning new things, there is peace even among the distractions. Peace and stillness are not just in the afterlife. They are here and now in each and every one of us.

What if one of the purposes of these abilities was so that we could also understand that in truth we do not necessarily need them? They allow for some fantastic experiences that is for sure. They can open up our eyes to the things that exist in this world and the next. They can certainly give us a perspective we may have never considered. They can even allow us to intimately feel others in ways we could never have imagined. They can show us just how connected and interwoven we really are. Regardless of these abilities, we are connected nonetheless? Though it is nice to be reminded in a different way, we are certainly reminded in more ways than one through our very own lives?

Whether we can see, feel and communicate with spirits or not, we are still connected. Whether we can hear other’s thoughts, feel other people’s and animals’ emotions or physical ailments, or whether we can do none of these things, we are all still connected. Whether we can manipulate energy or see it as auras that seemingly shine from our very existence, or whether we are blind and can see none of these things, we are still connected.

We are connected if we but choose to see. And though our ears might hear, and our eyes might see, and our minds might think, our hearts understand. We are connected, you, and I.

A man cannot begin to convince another man and share his beliefs through logic alone. No matter how intelligent we believe ourselves to be, and no matter how superior we think the human mind to be, it is limited by the things we feed it. Whether fed by books, television or other sources of knowledge, it is limited. Wrapped in self-delusion, it struggles for survival in a world that often defies logic. We may try to justify our knowledge through history and the words of men long since passed, but until we can free our mind of its constraints we will never see the world as it was meant to be seen.

If you seek to convince a man of anything, speak not of conjecture and assumptions. Instead, speak to a person’s heart. Be honest with yourself and with all whom your words would touch. Speak not of absolutes unless you are absolute. Be not afraid of admitting error, or of admitting ignorance, for the fool is not the one who does not know, but is the one who cannot admit that they do not know, or cannot know.

Many will claim to know God’s word, for it is said by some that it is written in the Bible and other holy texts. Some say it is foolish to disregard God’s word. Perhaps it is more foolish to assume His word. Man knows what he knows, and no more. And though he would try to turn his will into God’s will, and turn all of God’s creations into his servants, he has power over nothing. He thinks because he is allowed to think. He breathes because he is allowed to breathe. He lives because he is allowed to live. Nothing is by his power.

Convince man of nothing, for the truth is already written. Before his life, his death was already written.

I know some do not believe in a God and some have different ideas as to who or what God is, or whether the God one person believes in, is the same as the God that another person believes in. I used to fight such ideas, but to me the search for understanding oneself and God is a very personal thing, although it is very much a shared experience. Because of that, part of me believes it makes no sense to try and convince anyone to believe in one thing over another. At the same time, I feel that it is important to be who we are. If there is a compulsion to share from the heart what one feels, I believe people should do it. To me the truth is absolute, although perceptions of it may vary from person to person and even from experience to experience. To me, the same goes for understanding God. God is absolute, but our understanding of Him may change from experience to experience. Although that may seem like a confusing take on life, to me it makes the difference between knowing and understanding.