Courage

    

image from Osho Zen Tarot Deck

COURAGE: 

Childhood summers were filled with sun, water, and books.  While my four siblings immersed themselves in the pool, I drowned myself in stacks of books.  My brothers and sisters played Marco Polo; I read about the lands of Marco Polo.  Our imaginations fertile, they pretended to be dolphins swimming and I was transported via books to a magical place where dolphins and humans spoke the same language.   

        One of the happiest days of my life was the day I was old enough, 9, to get my very own library card.  No longer did I have to divide the total number of books checked out with my mother.  As we are both voracious readers, I am sure she was thrilled as well. 

Forty years later, I still read constantly. I have noticed that I am most impacted by authors whose words give me the courage to ask “Why?” and  “How?”  Words are POWER.  They have the power to stimulate thought processes or to lull one into oblivion.  They have the power to start wars and the power to end them.  They have the power to transport us and the power to ground us.  The most provocative writings don’t answer questions, they cause one to ask more questions. 

The short stories we read for class reminded me of questions I have asked for decades.  

Signs and Symbols: 

        “….the patient imagines that everything happening around him is a veiled reference to his personality and existence.”

        Why do humans need to assign messages to the  patterns, “signs,” and symbols we see?  Do we create these patterns out of chaos as a need to attach spiritual significance to our lives?  Are there actually messages being given to those who will see from some superior entity? 

        The plethora of spiritual teachings and religions around the world employ such strategies and thought processes so their followers feel significant in a vast universe.  Why do we crave significance?  Do other creatures on the planet do the same?  What makes us unique?

Night-Sea Journey:

“Is the journey my invention?  Do the night, the sea, exist at all, apart from my experience of them?  Do I myself exist or is this a dream? And if I am, who am I?”

Many spiritual teachings encourage us by reminding us that it is the journey, not the destination, that is important.  Why do we feel that our lives are important only if there is some “reward” at the end?  The reward is the carrot that keeps us going even when the waters are rough.  “…when we imagine the Shore, what comes to mind is just the opposite of our condition…”

We tell ourselves that while the others drown around us, there is a “reason” and a “purpose” to it all.  Somehow, it brings comfort to believe there must be some rhyme and reason to the chaos.  And it gives us the stamina to keep on swimming.  How would we live if there was no “Shore?”  Do we invent a purpose for living so we find the stamina to keep on swimming, even if it is futile? 

Is it because of our struggles that we actually contemplate the “big” questions?  Does it matter what we believe as long as it makes us feel better and improves our quality of life?  Can we refuse to participate in the mental gymnastics?  Would we even want to refuse?  Which is most important --- to be deceived by She and feel transfigured or fight for the Truth and be miserable?

The Swimmer:

“Standing barefoot…, he seemed pitiful.  He had known when he started that this was a part of his journey…”

“…he found himself unprepared.”

“Why was he determined to complete his journey even if it meant putting his life in danger?”

“He had done what he wanted, he had swum the county, but he was so stupefied with exhaustion that his triumph seemed vague.”

If there is a “Shore” to reach, do we know before we begin  swimming about the waves, sharks, and storms we will face?  If we do reincarnate, do we have any choice in the matter of who we are and what Journey we will embark upon?  And if we reach the elusive Shore, how do we feel?  PS:  if we do get to choose, I want to be a bird next time and soar above the planet.