(no subject)
Last evening was a truly pleasurable experience for me, in a Socratic sense. Discussions of philosophy and politics pervaded the fading summer air, while distant echoes of airplane travel intermingled with a Spanish rendition of "Happy Birthday" from a nearby house in Powderhorn Park.
We discussed alcoholism, youth, education, and death, as the sunset gave way to numerous candles on the patio table. The faces of fellow students from my cohort were gently illuminated by the candlelight, as I listened to heart-breaking stories of loved ones who have dealt with far greater hardships than I. That they could divulge such personal information was truly poignant for me, and indicative that we were developing bonds of friendship. I was struggling to produce meaningful words to indicate that I understood their situations, when I suddenly realized that I did not understand - or maybe comprehend - their hardships; struggles are unique to the individual, and that age-old platitude - "I know how you feel" - is so meaningless in most situations. So, I stirred my turmeric-spiced rice with my fork and absorbed the words and images of my surroundings into my mind.
While I love an evening of attempting to delve into universal truths, what makes life truly so mystical is relationships: the sense of forging an emotional bond with others and almost making their life experiences palpable in the mind. Often, the only requirement for this attachment is maintaining presence as a friend, with no words necessarily exchanged.
These times for me spur this spiritual drive to embrace everyone in the world, and initiate the steps toward individual and collective healing; it is a fantasy of mine as I age to disperse myself fully toward that objective until I have physically and mentally merged with the energy of the Universe, much like Silverstein's Giving Tree.
We discussed alcoholism, youth, education, and death, as the sunset gave way to numerous candles on the patio table. The faces of fellow students from my cohort were gently illuminated by the candlelight, as I listened to heart-breaking stories of loved ones who have dealt with far greater hardships than I. That they could divulge such personal information was truly poignant for me, and indicative that we were developing bonds of friendship. I was struggling to produce meaningful words to indicate that I understood their situations, when I suddenly realized that I did not understand - or maybe comprehend - their hardships; struggles are unique to the individual, and that age-old platitude - "I know how you feel" - is so meaningless in most situations. So, I stirred my turmeric-spiced rice with my fork and absorbed the words and images of my surroundings into my mind.
While I love an evening of attempting to delve into universal truths, what makes life truly so mystical is relationships: the sense of forging an emotional bond with others and almost making their life experiences palpable in the mind. Often, the only requirement for this attachment is maintaining presence as a friend, with no words necessarily exchanged.
These times for me spur this spiritual drive to embrace everyone in the world, and initiate the steps toward individual and collective healing; it is a fantasy of mine as I age to disperse myself fully toward that objective until I have physically and mentally merged with the energy of the Universe, much like Silverstein's Giving Tree.