Excerpt of a poem by E.E. Cummings:
when serpents bargain for the right to squirm
and the sun strikes to gain a living wage –
when thorns regard their roses with alarm
and rainbows are insured against old age
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There exists in (and “as”) the mind many psychological boundaries. These boundaries often constitute what the mind actually is. In the average mind, there exists what is taken to be a separation between one’s self and others. In the average mind, there exists what is taken to be a separation between the “I” (or “me”) and one’s thoughts. In the average mind, there exists what is taken to be a separation between “me” and “my fears.” In the average mind, there exists what is taken to be a separation between “me” and “my desires.” Additionally, most people think that they are separate from what they see.
However, a mind that intelligently goes beyond crass separation and conflict is not psychologically the same (as the typical mind). In such a mind, the notion of self as separate from “others” is not so pronounced. Such a mind wisely sees self and others as a whole, not as separate parts. Such a mind has real compassion for animals and human beings because it — being blessed — is not behind some learned wall of crass separation. Additionally, a truly prudent and perceptive mind sees that the “thinker” and the “thoughts” are not separate. One actually is the thoughts and the “thinker” is a projection manufactured by the thinking process. Similarly, an enlightened mind does not see fears as being separate things that it has. It sagaciously sees that when fear arises, it is not something separate from what the fear actually is. And when desire takes place, a truly perceptive mind realizes (and sees) that it is not something magically separate from the desire; it is the desire (or the desires). And also, often going beyond thought/thinking is prudent; this is because all thoughts are limited and symbolic, while inherently producing mental borders contributing to confinement.
So, many people look (internally and externally) through learned fragmentation, learned conflict, and limiting separation. This limiting separation is what projects into society as violence, indifference, and conflict. And people willingly go to war… war started by so-called leaders (who are, sadly enough, mentally riddled with insane fragmentation, antagonism, and distortion).
utterly GORGEOUS photo Tom! I do consciously separate myself from the man we call our president because this man is trying to destroy us all – I am made of darkness and light but I have choices too – and one of them is NOT to go down the road to hell.
I understand. He is a very nefarious, unstable, greedy, disturbed entity. So many people are afraid of him. Many people have thrown their integrity out of the window for him. No unstable, corrupt mind is my leader.
Additionally, when one looks at a spike of a cactus plant (for instance), one is not actually pointed, sharp, and stiff; but one’s visual field (and consciousness) is (simply and actually) partly composed of the image of that spike. Similarly, when you look at Trump, you are not composed of orange, clownish hair and obsese flesh; his image is simply part of one’s visual field and consciousness (at the time of looking). Or course, an acute, sagacious mind would have deep connections (as a wholeness and oneness) with other beautiful living things, but deeply connecting with an entity that is derranged and mentally distorted would not be prudent.
I’ll say…
Yes, sadly we have tinkered with nature and contributed to global warming. Life will not be the same and certainly not the climate we enjoyed for so many year … retirement should have seen me logging many more hours outside than I actually do due to the wacky and wild weather – sigh. That’s a beautiful photo Tom. I got a few shots of a Monarch last Sunday at the Emily Frank Gardens … there are more flowers that I could begin to count and I saw one Monarch butterfly and one Cabbage White.
Unfortunately, Monarchs are far more scarce than they used to be just a few years ago, Linda. So many of the beautiful butterflies are now absent in our rural areas, due to global warming, Roundup, wildfire smoke, and pollution. Soon, people will have to see them in museums, mounted and pinned.
Linda, i used to go stunt kite flying often (in the distant past). Now, however, i cannot do that because of the crazy weather. The weather used to be calm and pleasant. Nowadays one wonders whether one’s house will get swept away. Mother Nature is rebelling!
That is so sad to know this about the Monarchs Tom. I was amazed and sad to see so many flowers at this garden and one Monarch. Not to disparage Cabbage Whites but they must be hardier since I see them flitting around everywhere.
I remember you told me about the stunt kite flying and you enjoyed it before arthritis. I will have a post on the 30th of this month which shows two women with their kites. They were not huge kites – one woman had hers in the air in minutes using a reel-type device that held the two strings as she was guiding it with, but the other woman had difficulties keeping the kite in the air (one string, no reel … maybe that’s why). That kite went airborne, then smacked down along the Lake Erie shoreline and she had to crawl over the boulders to retrieve it. They told me they knew that was the windiest part of the park so that’s where they brought their kites. I would have liked to show them manipulating the kites but one woman was adamant I didn’t include her photo, so I said “fine” (playing hooky from work??)
Your state and Indiana had another bad week weatherwise, Indiana especially with the state of emergency declared. We fared better here in Michigan, although they had severe weather predicted three or four days in a row, but it didn’t materialize (but that still did not help as I had angst worrying about impending bad weather each day and decided not to go out and risk it arriving earlier – sigh). We have severe weather Saturday evening which all the meteorologists seem to agree on.
The weather here last night was terrible. There was tons of rain and some hail. A couple of times i tried to open the front door to see what was going on, but the wind was so violent that the door felt like a giant monster was pulling on it. How butterflies and birds survive in such violent weather is beyond me. I know that some birds take shelter in our carport; they are smart (and good for them).