Comments | ornoth: A River of Thought

ornoth

A River of Thought

Feb 27, 2007 07:04

I’ve experienced some synchronicity regarding waterfalls and Buddhism recently, and I thought both of the following images were strong enough to warrant mentioning here. Both, of course, deal with our ignoring the fact of our own mortality, and what it means for how we live our brief lives.

The first is a poem by Kay Ryan. It goes as follows:

As ( Read more... )

suzuki roshi, wisdom, buddhism, cancer, death, denial, unity, water, poetry

Comments 12

ailsaek February 27 2007, 15:27:28 UTC

I do know it's going to end, and it scares me sick when I think of it. It shouldn't, I know, since it happens to everyone and all, but it does. What I want to be doing is homesteading - growing my own food, cooking on a woodstove, using far less electricity, maybe even spinning my own wool. But I can't just blink and be there. Got to pack up and sell the one place before we can move to another one, and I am working toward it.

ornoth February 28 2007, 00:47:04 UTC

Well, at least you know what you want and are making progress, which is great, although IMO you gotta balance that with deriving enjoyment from the present, as well.

I'm curious, tho, about the fear. Like, I can understand fear of pain and/or suffering, and I'm right there with you on those, but fear of death? At least in theory, it's the big nothing. Of course, no one can say anything about it with authority, but I wouldn't think that being dead would be all that bad... Would it?

Fortunately, I can defer on that question, and I'm good at ignoring questions that can't be answered...

rhillai February 28 2007, 00:51:52 UTC

I differ on your opinion. Some can say things with authority. The rest must either believe them or not. I can say it from personal experience and not just faith or beliefs. Don't really care who believes me. So, to answer your question, no it isn't bad. :)

rhillai February 27 2007, 20:07:26 UTC

Well, Orny, most people don't have many near death experiences, if any, until they are older. So, most people go on about their lives as if they were going to live forever. The young are noted for their views of being "invincible".

But, I've had some throughout my life ... and I'm not even middle aged yet. So, I do live my life the way I want to. And i've had enough, well, other experiences that I have no fears and no doubts about what comes next. Eh, that's more than I usually say about this kind of stuff. Give me a call if you want to talk any more about it.

Mark

ornoth February 28 2007, 00:50:12 UTC

Yeah. I'm not sure why I seem to know about my own death, since I haven't had those near-death experiences, but I sure do.

I'm glad to hear you're living with that in the back of your mind, tho. The very idea of going through life unconsciously, without valuing it as it happens, makes me wiggy!

hyzathra February 28 2007, 02:06:56 UTC

People are dying from the moment they're born. And perhaps it's not so much death that people fear, as much as it is the actual process of dying!

And I don't see much point in obsessing over when one will kark it. When it happens, it happens, and if you're lucky it'll be over before you know it. I'd prefer that it takes me by surprise, rather than watch it inexorably approach like a slow-moving train!

ornoth March 1 2007, 14:24:29 UTC

Yeah, it's odd. I can certainly understand fear of the pain and suffering involved with the process of dying, but there are some folks who really are uncomfortable with the idea of death, whether it be the idea of nonexistence or worry over what's going to happen to all their *stuff*.

It's an odd thing; people seem to have feelings all over the map about it, which I guess is understandable since for most people it's something they have absolutely no first-hand experience with.

dafyddcyhoeddwr February 28 2007, 03:25:48 UTC

Well, I suppose I've got a few salient thoughts on the matter ( ... )

dafyddcyhoeddwr February 28 2007, 03:26:45 UTC

BTW, did ya'll know there's a byte limit to replys? There is, and I exceeded it with the above epic ...

ornoth March 1 2007, 14:59:05 UTC

Wow. I want to extra-thank you for all those thoughts, since you've kinda been there and back, after all, and recently. So you've got some experience that most of us can't really approximate.

It sounds like after the initial shock, you've kinda gone back and forth. In some ways, you're back to your old life, but in others, you've made changes to live a bit more the way you want to. I guess the big thing is being conscious while you're alive and making choices you're happy with.

Time... Yeah. That's a tough one that I struggle with, too. It's hard to have a wide breadth of interests, but so little time to enjoy them. The big thing is work, tho. That's the hard part. My brother just went part-time, and I could see the value in that. Ah, maybe someday...

I think I might have run into the comment length limit once, but forgot all about it. Frustrating, isn't it? ;^)

awfief March 1 2007, 00:22:50 UTC

Nothing ( ... )

ornoth March 1 2007, 15:08:35 UTC

Thanks for the followup thots...

It sounds like you've got a healthy outlook to me. That balance of planning versus enjoying today is a tough and very individual one, planning for a future that may never happen. But as long as you're somewhere in the middle, rather than at either extreme, I think that's healthy.

With the concerns over knowledge, planning, self-sufficiency, and vulnerability, it sounds like the larger issue for you is around control. That's a tough one, because there will probably come a time when you have to surrender to lack of control. But that's probably one of the hardest things to learn in life, and I can't say I'm much further along the path toward giving up control than you are.