It's Over, and It's Just Begun

When you think about it, much of the world ... and our existence in the world ... operates on a “it’s over, and it’s just begun” mantra. It's a rotational thing: The sun rises, the sun sets; the seasons come, the season go; we sleep, we wake; the Cubbies win, the Cubbies lose; the Cubbies lose; The Cubbies lose; The Cubbies win. (You get the picture).

On the other hand, there's lots of things that that we have to do and/or deal with that has a beginning, and an end - and that's that. No more. For example, jobs start, and they can end completely. Companies start, and they can end completely. Relationships start, and yes, they can end/end. Most profoundly of all: life begins and life ends, at least the physical form as we know it.

As the ubiquitous sound-bite goes … “It is what it is.”

But wait. Before you think I’m being fatalistic or cavalier, I want you to know that I really do appreciate the fact that some beginnings, and endings, are much more difficult than others, requiring special appreciation and mindfulness. The more we value (in context), that things begin and end, the more we need to enjoy the here and now. If we can successfully harness what we learn through life’s beginnings, endings, and in-betweens … the better we can navigate and manage the new beginnings, endings, and in-betweens. Does that make sense?

(By the way, fate and destiny have nothing to do with anything. They’re an excuse disguised as rational. After all, Darth Vader was wrong: it wasn’t Luke’s destiny to go to the dark side. Was it? Our destiny is what we make of it).

That said, I do believe that God has a hand in things; but He expects us to show up, and do the work. And do it as best we can. And thankfully, as George Eliot said, “It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” (Cool way to look at it, no?) Really, unless we just want to give up and disappoint ourselves, and those who need and love us every time something comes to an end; or unless we’re afraid, for whatever reason, to take on new beginnings and blame it on fate or destiny —we have to understand what’s at stake. We have to discern what we have or have not, and appreciate what we could win or lose, depending on our choices.
Then we need to do what we need to do; get ready, and go.

In other words, get to work.

With every new challenge, we should be better, stronger, and wiser; appreciating that work takes work, and hard work takes hard work. As an added bonus, the reward for our hard work and determination will help us know so much more in many different ways: intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

The experience we earn, is never insignificant. It’s experience.

Experience is Good.

When Judging and Being Judged

Can you smell it too? You know, that opinionated, oh-so-unfancy, party-foul scent of wrongful judgement, that gets passed by a "know-it-all", then fumes up the place, pollutes the air, clogs our nostrils, and challenges our ability to stay cool. And heck with the cool - because sometimes those stinkers foul up the place so bad - that you just have to send back a reactionary, yet equally opinionated, oh-so-unfancy, "well-take-that-you-know-it-all" counter judgement!

So much for the high road, right?!

Maybe its just me, but it seems like lately (let's blame it on the economy, of course), that more people than usual are stinking up the place, by inappropriately judging this and judging that, and making judgements with little appreciation to context, reality and facts (let alone the other side; 'cause there's always two) - so that these judgements more often than not are ignorant, and quite possibly, wrong ... or at a minimum ... suspect, superficial, inadequate, and challengeable. How's that for judgement!

No doubt, we are all "programmed" to a degree - and have our opinions based on so much stuff, from so many places. And no doubt that opinions are like belly buttons: we all have them. Be that as it may, some folks are so misappropriately hard-wired coded, that they need a serious reboot and/or a complete systems overhaul when it comes to their judgements.

Now, to help "judgementalists" junkies kick their bad habits, and jump-start their rehab - here's a smattering of some pretty good quotes, from some pretty smart people, with some pretty good thoughts with regard to judging and being judged.

Use them as you see fit; they're on the house.

"How dreadful it is when the right judge judges wrong." - Sophocles

"Hear the other side." - Augustine

"For to err in opinion or judgement, is human." - Plutarch

"How much easier it is to be critical than correct." - Disraeli

"You will be damned if you do and damned if you don't" - Dow

"Principles, opinions and assumptions - may and must be flexible." - Lincoln

"New people and their opinions are always suspected and usually opposed without any other reason but because they are not already common." - Locke

"Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing." - Emerson

"He who knows only his side of the case, knows little of that." - Mill

"To doubt everything or to believe in everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity to think and reflect." - Poincare

"He who can, does. He who can't, takes issue with he who can." - Shaw

"Nobody likes the man who brings bad news." - Sophocles

"Criticism comes easier then craftsmanship." - Zeuxis

Admittedly, those quotes are pretty heady, and somewhat heavy - but still absolutely, positively, nodoubtaboutitly, spot on. So, to lighten things up just a little bit - let's end with a joke, and a fitting one at that. (BTW: I'm pretty sure that my priest, Father Kevin, thinks its funny and fitting too; you'll see why that matters).

A smelly drunken man, sat down on a subway next to a priest. The man's tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a half-empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opened his newspaper and began reading. After a few minutes the man turned to the priest and asked, 'Say Father, what causes arthritis?' The priest replies, 'My Son, it's caused by loose living, being with cheap women, too much alcohol, contempt for your fellow man, and lack of a bath.' The drunk muttered in response, 'Well, I'll be damned,' Then returned to his paper. The priest, thinking about what he had said, nudged the man, and apologized. 'I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?' The drunk answered, 'I don't have it, Father. I was just reading here that the Pope does.'

Understood, Rationalized, Objective Judging is Good.

The Brainer No-Brainer

If it's true ... that what F. Scott Fitzgerald said (and no - he's not the guy in the picture: that guy's just some guy who looks puzzled - which is thematic to this blog; I think) - in that, “The ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function, is the sign of an intelligent person" ... well then, pop the bubbly baby, because news flash, I must be one relatively smart dude. (Oohh: I knew it! If only those persnickety SATs would've known that as well - I'm talking Harvard man! But I digest.)

So you ask: What are you getting at Scott? Well, here's what I'm getting at. If you've been playing along with my last umpteen blogs, you'll know that I've been on a bit of a "brain bender" - in that I've been harping on the importance of using our brains, and embracing/promoting all of those brainiac words/actions like thoughtfulness, mindfulness, smarts, intelligence, thinking, no-duhs, etc, etc, etc..

But now, I beg to differ with myself. (Well, maybe not differ entirely, but certainly challenge that 24/7/365 brain game. )

Here's what happened. I just finished the best-selling book, "The Power of NOW; A guide to Spiritual Enlightenment" by Eckart Tolle. Believe it or not (and frankly, I struggle with the believe it part), this book has sold over 2 million copies, and my guess is - helped propel the bottled water industry, as it was as bone-dry as the Sahara - in August. And while it may have parched my thirst, it quenched my assumption of always thinking mind-over-matter.

You see, according to Tolle, "the brain/mind" is our problem. It's what messes us up, and inhibits our ability to be the best that we can be. To be one with the universe. To "Being."

To paraphrase Tolle: not only are we NOT our mind, but our mind is the obstacle to enlightenment (aka: to Being). To be in harmony, and to really see/experience/feel/be - we need to disengage the brain; set it aside; leave it alone; put it in time-out.

Now, for those into and capable of meditation (yea, I try, but that darn brain gets in the way) - you get it, and know what this "Being" stuff is all about. Its about achieving "consciousness" which comes from being basically, unconscious. But hark ye meditators who think (proverbially speaking, of course) that me don't get it - I do now. And at the risk of coming off as some new age, hoity toity, Mensa intellectual, wheat-grass slurping, ummmm to the world, meditative expert - which I clearly am not - I get it too, now, and more so, agree.

Hence - my ability, and declaration - to beg to differ with my over thinking self.

Yea, the brain is good. Thinking is good. Smart is good. Mindfulness is good.

At the same time - it's good to put the brain away, and just let the body be.

In other words: I think, AND, I don't think - therefor I am.

By doing both ... thinking, and not thinking ... we're better at "being."

Being is Good.