Forgive and forget is not such a bad way to live, though the forgetting part is damn near
impossible at times. I forgave a lot of bad people for many unpleasant things, but I
won't soon erase them from my mind entirely. In moments of clarity and pure comprehension,
I will see the memories pass by me. Letting them pass without interruption is the key.
Fortunately, not only are there as many good thoughts as bad - there are more! So I get
to enjoy a bit of happiness whenever they drift past. Sure, meditation is difficult
in congested urban dwellings but I'm willing to keep at it as long as I continue to see
results. That's the crucial point so many would-be ascetics propose: "Where's the payoff?"
Of course, individual results will always, always vary widely, but individuals who choose
to allow their minds to open wide - those who forego to ego altogether and peer into other
dimensions - will notice blatantly universal effects. So that's how this all works.
You either live for yourself, for your family and close friends and neighbours and coworkers,
or you live for the universe. The cosmos. The biggest picture. Some people seem
successfully to accomplish both, though I imagine it requires diligence and a depth of
character most of us have seen but once in our lives...if that. The strength it takes to
be concerned with the minutae of modern living, with the epic distraction of human
interaction, in itself is impressive. Set on top of that the willingess to devote great
thoughtful energy to to wellness of an entire cosmos (every universe) and you have one
ready and able individual whose presence in your life is not something to be taken for
granted. Such people, I imagine, lose a lot of energy through their daily
audience with the conciousness of the masses. They are left drained. squeezed dry.
And then you, being all too human, ask them for more. You wonder why they don't have
the energy to mount a short flight of stairs - let alone look you in the eyes. You
ask them if anything is wrong, and they tell you, "No, I'm just doing my thing."
You (the pronoun that represents all of humanity) tell them what you would like them
to do repeatedly. You would like them to be normal. You'd prefer if they smiled
and watched TV. You desperately just want to relate. You wish they'd just act like
you imagined they would; like they used to. You never got a chance to get to know them
before they all but disappeared into another world.
Perhaps there are some compromises to be made. Maybe the quiet soul-searching types
could open up a bit of their soul and teach more of those around them what it is
they are getting up to inside. And by the same rote, the fun-loving distracting types
might settle down, let go of the idly commercial chatter and show everybody that they,
too, can be pensive and wish to be enlightened. That's a tall task for both parties
and I wouldn't expect to see a cure in relations immediately - but, who knows?
Humans have a wonderful capacity to surprise one another. So long as everyone keeps
it on the good side of their brain, I can foresee a whole lot of laughter and
magnificence.
