We, the “I”, the self, is like a note in a symphony, a ray of sun, or a wave in the ocean, part of a much bigger whole, not quite our own independent piece of a much larger puzzle. The problem is we want to hang on to our note, our ray, our wave, our piece, rather than allowing our self to be the symphony, the ray, the ocean and the entire puzzle. Each note is perfect and important to the entire symphony, but means little on its own, it only exists in reference to other notes and all notes only exist in reference to music. The whole is always greater than the sum of its parts.
We long for something real, steady and constant that we can hang on to. We long to be real and enduring, but everything including us comes and goes, changes, flows in and out of existence.
Even in this lifetime, this “I” seems to have different personalities, ideas, beliefs and convictions from one year to the next, hell, sometimes from one moment to the next (hormones and intense emotions can do that to you). This self also changes physically over time. We have a bran new cellular body every seven years. The bottom line is that if “we”, our “I”, was steady, real and enduring, we would be the same at 4 than at 15 than at 40. Our personalities, beliefs, and physical body would remain the same, that is just not the case. The you at 15 is a completely different person, in every way, than the you at 4. The you at 40 is also a completely different person than the you at 15, and that’s good! It gives us the ability to evolve, change our mind, reinvent ourselves as we wish. Who we are today we will not quite be tomorrow. That is the pain of it as well as the beauty of it.
So instead of hanging on to the note, we’ve got to allow ourselves to make and be the music. Rather than hanging on the wave and wanting it to be separated, unique and solid, we have to be willing to surf it and allow it to crash because in the end we are the wave and the shore it crashes onto. We are also the surfer, the board and the ocean.
We are nothing and everything .
So surf up,
Live fully, live joyfully, live kindly.
-ivc-
1 comments:
This is a beautful analogy.
I surfed the gulf coast, initially learning in Galveston, as a teen. My first stick was bought with money from mowing yards in the season.
Many of the experiences which brought me into the world of the"seeker" began in the surfing community as it was tied inextricably to right brain thinking. I began having conversations with older people of that genre who had simple, powerful things to say about life and as a young man from a classically oedipusal background...I was impressed.
I surfed for 13 years and it took me too the west & east coasts of the continent. The impressions that lifestyle made on me were lasting.....to say the least. Your view on 7year cycles is perfect. One of the ideas I constantly impress those who are willing with is the idea of an infinite source of expression in the personality.
Wonderful blog!!
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