Friday, October 4, 2019

"Who am I"

This is a difficult question to answer, although most people will have their answer at the ready.  They will begin to give a litany of their identifications; I am a human,  a male, a son, a father, a white man, a Christian, a student, etc...  Yet, does their identifications explicitly define the question of "Who I am.?"  It does up to a certain narrow perspective.  If we include only the material aspects of our perspective, it does deliver a relative truth of who we are, all in terms of our material interpretation. But it seems we always identify ourselves with what we see, with what we touch, with what we smell, with what we hear, with what we possess, all exclusively with the objective world.

There is a poem written by, Edwin Arlington Robinson, called "Richard Cory."  Richard Cory was, "empirically slim, always human when he talked, admirably schooled in every grace, richer than a king, he even glittered when he walked;" simple people wished they were in his place.  Yet, one clam summer night, went home a put a bullet through his head.

Of all of his accomplishments, and material possessions, none brought Richard true, lasting satisfaction or joy.  What was missing in Richard Cory's life that made him take his life?  There is a song that asks a question, "Is that all there is?" and the answer resounds, "If that is all there is, what's the use of living."  As human beings we have a cosmic, interior urge to expand.  If we live in a 6' by 8' room, we will aspire to live in a 12' by 12' room, and if that room feels enclosed we will look for a larger room.

However, the material world in which we life, move, and have our being is ambiguous, and we feel threatened that what we have accumulated will be lost, so in our fear of lose we set safe boundaries around us to keep safe what we have. These boundaries we set up however, lock us in, squeeze us with fear and anxiety, and ultimately freeze our joy, and our urge for expansion.  If the material world, we aspire too, and in which have most of our contact, is taken as the true reality, why then are we crippled with fear, anxiety, and suicides, on all levels.  There must be a disconnect somewhere.

The basic disconnect is, that most of us are living in a psychological space that bares no connection to the reality of the full breath of our lives.  The entire cosmos is managing with great efficiency; which is no small task.  Yet, you have a disturbing thought stuck in your head that you cannot manage, and you're entire day is ruined.

Within the universality of space, if you look at yourself in perspective, you are a mere speck. But you believe you're thought-which is less than a speck, should determine the nature of your existence.  Thought can never be greater than life.  Thought can only be logical, and logic operates exclusively by parching everything between polarities, searching for conclusions. It's data base only recognizes the material and psychological aspects of our lives, while completely neglecting to figure in its cosmic aspects.

Our life is tied, like a web, inextricably into to the cosmos, and further into Universal Nature.  We and the Universe are one organic unit.  It, in a macro sense, and us, in a micro sense, united together.  Our micro sense is literally reaching for the stars, so that we can finally rest easy in the destiny of our our heritage.

                                    One truth, many paths.   Be good, do good.

                                                Louis DiVirgilio