Saturday, October 31, 2009

Oh What Is This Living?


Life is a promise; fulfill it.
Mother Theresa


I have thought about this quote a lot recently. What does she mean? Mother T, what do you mean? I suppose I've thought about it a lot, because I feel I'm not living life as deeply as I know it can be lived. Some people experience a whole array of human emotions with such vibrancy and depth, that I feel like I've been left on the surface while my dive-buddies are busy exploring the great barrier reefs of the soul!

How is life a promise? What is promised to us as a result of life? Worse yet, how can I fulfill my end of the promise?

A promise is a declaration or assurance that a certain thing will happen. Life is a declaration! An assurance that if we strive to become completely alive, things will happen. Things happening are never bad, right? Even when bad things happen, good lessons can be gleaned. There would be nothing more distressing than a life where nothing ever happened.

I think M.T. means here that we were promised that things would happen, but it is our responsibility to use those things to wake us up from the dreams of our shallow realities. Nothing would be more frustrating than "doggie-paddling" in the greatest oceans of the world, knowing that undiscovered wonders lay mere feet beneath you. So it can be with life, we skim the surface without diving below and seeing the wonders. To see more clearly, to feel more deeply, and to live more consciously. I love this quote from Thoreau:

"We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn."

There is always a way to experience life more deeply. There always exists a frame of mind that will bring us closer to God, our fellow man, and our own true self. The sun rises and the sun falls, and often we live out a day as if all there were to do was shop, walk, and eat on time. Things will happen, but what purpose will I fulfill and will I help another person to fulfill their promise to life? Life has promised so many great things! Why do I waste it by not breathing in deeper, walking a little slower, and looking a little longer? Live deep.

7 comments:

  1. Great thoughts, Ryan!

    I wonder if "deep living" is more than just an in-the-moment experience? It seems to require just as much up front (i.e., preparation) and in the back (i.e., post-processing) as it does in the middle (i.e., the moment).

    If we ditch the a priori and post hoc elements, then we may get too often caught up in the tyranny of the moment. Such tyranny may get us stuck strolling when we should be running, or staring a little too long when we should be shunning.

    Relatedly, your prose brought to my mind John 10:10: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." And then a question: How does the "abundant life" relate to deep living? I'm thinking there's at least some correlation there. So, if you've got any thoughts on that, I'd love to read them sometime!

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  2. Go to the Temple A LOT and you will realize what the promise of life is and how to be true to the promise. Love ya little guy.
    Mother

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. I am trying to "live deep". In fact, I have been thinking a lot about that lately on my strolls in the sandy beaches of Spain. In fact, I have been dying to ask you to define the word "dream" for me. NOT as in the one you have when you are asleep or half awake. I am trying to decide how dreams and goals coincide, or if they go in completly separate categories. I thought you could help me out. Thanks for your inspiration.I´ll define it too. Ready. Set. Go!

    Also, I just wondered if you ever thought that e-mailing might make our communication easier... or maybe you like communication by blog comments?

    Riemenschneiderstr. 2d
    53175 Bonn

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  5. I also just wanted to state that It sickens me that my last comment was redundant. I should have proofread that last comment. The one before, I deleted for a simple spelling error. I am just reminding you of my imperfection.

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