I like what you wrote about acceptance: "it's possible to accept everyone, exactly as they are, where they are, how they are....". Yes, it is.! And I would like to add that it is the most respectful approach towards another being. And isn't it also how we all want to be met by our fellow human travelers on the Life journey. Many of the inter-human conflicts arise because some people are unable to accept others and instead want to make them into carbon copies of themselves. To feel safe? They then miss out on the joy that comes out of of accepting this beautiful diversity that makes humanity so fascinating. Decades ago, I saw a huge photo-exhibition called "The Family of Man". That was, among other things, a homage to diversity!
Thanks for the reply and the "meatiness" of it! It reminds me that I am aware that everyone I meet is a flat out miracle - that any of us are here at all. I was talking with a friend earlier today about how he was brought up. Abandoned by the father at 11. The mother having committed suicide and blaming the son for it. It's a heavy, heavy load to bear! I'm so grateful for those friends of mine who share their intimate traumas with me. I too have suffered - but not to that extent. That any.of us make it at all is quite remarkable. So, when we see anyone else today, it might be nice to acknowledge with JOY that they EXIST! It isn't an easy road but we can hold a candle to the darkness and light each other's way on the journey from "I" to "otherwise...." - (that last bit comes from Theodore Roethke, by the way!)
Yeah, we are all of us miracles! And souls. It makes me happy to see it that way, so I do. About your friend, same thing for me, my father took his life. I was blamed. Yes, my upbringing brought trauma into my life. But, you know, "comparative suffering" does not serve any purpose; my therapist taught me that. We all have challenges, but we can grow as humans through them. Into depth and understanding. Can you acknowledge the wisdom in your own words about feeling JOY that those others EXIST? We hold that candle, and we ALL get more light on our path.
Yes! Here's the thing - that each of us is an iteration of that pattern we call "Homo Sapiens Sapiens" - AKA "Wise man" - well, I don't know. I just think that we are all attempting to navigate "reality" with limited, filtering sensory apparati - and we don't realize it, much of the time (or all the time). This is why I am interested in the work of Gurdjieff, J.G. Bennett, and Robert Fripp who form one chain reaching back into the late 19th century and beyond. So, I'm exploring - knowing that not only do I not have the whole picture, no one CAN have the whole picture. It's just not accessible. But the FACT of my existence is miraculous and so is everyone elses. Everyone here is carrying a load of trauma. I have something that I share judiciously - since not everyone can appreciate the messenger - but the message! My belief is that it ought to be amplified - here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=190Ro8oRWss&t=3080s - this may drop you into the middle.
Wow, Trindi! That is a heavy thing - my wife suffers from auto-immune hepatitis which is, thankfully, in remission pretty much from the time of diagnosis on - but it has been a road. Your situation seems even more challenging. I watched my late father decline to lung disease including a successfully irradiated cancer which left him with pneumonia caused by the irradiation. He was sent home on oxygen and recovered sufficiently to get another 18 months of life in before passing away on April 7, 2024. He was 91. He fought for every breath. Most people know that if they ask how I am, I'm apt to reply, "I'm still breathing!"
I like what you wrote about acceptance: "it's possible to accept everyone, exactly as they are, where they are, how they are....". Yes, it is.! And I would like to add that it is the most respectful approach towards another being. And isn't it also how we all want to be met by our fellow human travelers on the Life journey. Many of the inter-human conflicts arise because some people are unable to accept others and instead want to make them into carbon copies of themselves. To feel safe? They then miss out on the joy that comes out of of accepting this beautiful diversity that makes humanity so fascinating. Decades ago, I saw a huge photo-exhibition called "The Family of Man". That was, among other things, a homage to diversity!
Thanks for the reply and the "meatiness" of it! It reminds me that I am aware that everyone I meet is a flat out miracle - that any of us are here at all. I was talking with a friend earlier today about how he was brought up. Abandoned by the father at 11. The mother having committed suicide and blaming the son for it. It's a heavy, heavy load to bear! I'm so grateful for those friends of mine who share their intimate traumas with me. I too have suffered - but not to that extent. That any.of us make it at all is quite remarkable. So, when we see anyone else today, it might be nice to acknowledge with JOY that they EXIST! It isn't an easy road but we can hold a candle to the darkness and light each other's way on the journey from "I" to "otherwise...." - (that last bit comes from Theodore Roethke, by the way!)
Yeah, we are all of us miracles! And souls. It makes me happy to see it that way, so I do. About your friend, same thing for me, my father took his life. I was blamed. Yes, my upbringing brought trauma into my life. But, you know, "comparative suffering" does not serve any purpose; my therapist taught me that. We all have challenges, but we can grow as humans through them. Into depth and understanding. Can you acknowledge the wisdom in your own words about feeling JOY that those others EXIST? We hold that candle, and we ALL get more light on our path.
Yes! Here's the thing - that each of us is an iteration of that pattern we call "Homo Sapiens Sapiens" - AKA "Wise man" - well, I don't know. I just think that we are all attempting to navigate "reality" with limited, filtering sensory apparati - and we don't realize it, much of the time (or all the time). This is why I am interested in the work of Gurdjieff, J.G. Bennett, and Robert Fripp who form one chain reaching back into the late 19th century and beyond. So, I'm exploring - knowing that not only do I not have the whole picture, no one CAN have the whole picture. It's just not accessible. But the FACT of my existence is miraculous and so is everyone elses. Everyone here is carrying a load of trauma. I have something that I share judiciously - since not everyone can appreciate the messenger - but the message! My belief is that it ought to be amplified - here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=190Ro8oRWss&t=3080s - this may drop you into the middle.
Thoughtful and food for thought, too. Thanks
Thanks for this piece, Hal. As a lupus warrior dealing with lung disease, I am truly thankful for each and every breath I take. I'm HERE.
Never take the gift of oxygen for granted.
Wow, Trindi! That is a heavy thing - my wife suffers from auto-immune hepatitis which is, thankfully, in remission pretty much from the time of diagnosis on - but it has been a road. Your situation seems even more challenging. I watched my late father decline to lung disease including a successfully irradiated cancer which left him with pneumonia caused by the irradiation. He was sent home on oxygen and recovered sufficiently to get another 18 months of life in before passing away on April 7, 2024. He was 91. He fought for every breath. Most people know that if they ask how I am, I'm apt to reply, "I'm still breathing!"
Well said Hal. Thank you! Still here, Judi