Inner peace
So often I just sit and think, contemplate. I think about our reality and the things we hold dear, and most of all, about why we hold them dear. Why do we want money, fame, power? Why can't we be content with what we have? All we get out of this rush for superficial things is turmoil, pain and misery. There is pain, and then there is pain. It pains me to see mankind reduced to this. Or perhaps we were never better, we just like to think we were, so that we can feed the hope that perhaps one day we will go back to that.
I read history, and I find that man has always been breaking away from the path of moderation towards extremes, and sadly, more often than not, those have been negative extremes.
It pains me to see that man has become so callous that in his desire to gain wealth and power he becomes totally devoid of compassion and empathy.
There is such a strange balance within me. While on one hand I am not shocked by man's behavior, and I have no difficulty in acepting that man can be, and is the cruel and sadistic self-centered beast that we see amongs us, on the other hand I cannot even begin to fathom what it is that drives man to such extremes.
There is nothing, nothing, that I have ever wanted, or can want that would make, no, let me take what is not mine or not feel compassion.
And somehow, while I am in a constant state of inner turmoil, I am also at peace. I feel so content, so at peace. I want for nothing, except the will to want even less. That is all I want, the ability to want and need even less. I know it is possible to lead a full life, yes, a really full life, far fuller than the one I live now, on less than I have.
Man needs so little. The greatest demands are of the soul, and yet we starve our souls, and feed our bodies. So misguided, so short-sighted. There is already enough pain and misery on earth to drive me insane, the only way I am able to keep it from doing that is dwell on other things. On my daily routine, on mundane issues.
Yet, man strives constantly it seems, to add to this pain.
This life is so short, i don't know what man is after. I will never know.
I read history, and I find that man has always been breaking away from the path of moderation towards extremes, and sadly, more often than not, those have been negative extremes.
It pains me to see that man has become so callous that in his desire to gain wealth and power he becomes totally devoid of compassion and empathy.
There is such a strange balance within me. While on one hand I am not shocked by man's behavior, and I have no difficulty in acepting that man can be, and is the cruel and sadistic self-centered beast that we see amongs us, on the other hand I cannot even begin to fathom what it is that drives man to such extremes.
There is nothing, nothing, that I have ever wanted, or can want that would make, no, let me take what is not mine or not feel compassion.
And somehow, while I am in a constant state of inner turmoil, I am also at peace. I feel so content, so at peace. I want for nothing, except the will to want even less. That is all I want, the ability to want and need even less. I know it is possible to lead a full life, yes, a really full life, far fuller than the one I live now, on less than I have.
Man needs so little. The greatest demands are of the soul, and yet we starve our souls, and feed our bodies. So misguided, so short-sighted. There is already enough pain and misery on earth to drive me insane, the only way I am able to keep it from doing that is dwell on other things. On my daily routine, on mundane issues.
Yet, man strives constantly it seems, to add to this pain.
This life is so short, i don't know what man is after. I will never know.
posted by lone-ranger at 6:54 PM
