Existential crisis, the beginning #5

No matter how much I try the pitcher that was half full yesterday now remains  half dry.

Building a framework for living # 2: The basic premise for its need

 Arun Kumar

Unsplash

There are two facts that are part of all living things. The first is that living, like everything else in the universe, is impermanent, and one day the act we are part of, ends. The winds of time slowly chip away at everything, and through perseverance, the law of increasing entropy wins.

In the end, our bodies give back the atoms it once borrowed. 

The other fact is that although we are mortal, yet, for a span of time we live.

For some of us blending two facts into a harmonious coexistence is a puzzle to face, and ultimately, to be solved. If the tension between the two is not resolved, life could feel like being adrift in a shoreless sea. A sense of loss, lack of purpose, lack of identity, can slowly envelope to rob sunshine from days.

How could the puzzle be solved? 

A possible path for solving the puzzle is through finding an appropriate framework for living. Only then, a harmonious relationship between living and our awareness of mortality can be achieved. 

Such a life has the wherewithal to stand up on its own and face the awareness of mortality.

Does everyone need to find an appropriate framework for living? 

Like everything else, the answer is -  it depends.

If you are the genre of individuals who lack the receptors to be aware of mortality, you may already be in a good place. Perhaps, you would continue to be lucky and never feel the dissonance between the two facts that living is also the process of dying. 

You could also be one of those who have the receptors to feel the mortality but find ways to dull their functionality.

And then, you could be one of those who have well developed mortality receptors but are either unable to numb its awareness or consciously choose not to do so. 

It is those lucky or unlucky souls that need an effort at coming up with a framework for living that brings harmony between the act of living and awareness of mortality, standing side by side with mutual respect and admiration.

And thus, having the receptors that are tuned to our mortality, and also the need to live, and further, live with a feeling of equanimity, fulfillment, and with feeling of being anchored, is the basic premise for finding an appropriate framework for living such as to bond two opposites together.

It is living by that elusive framework that allows us to have a fulfilling life while being abe to live with the awareness of our mortality.

It is living by that elusive framework that keeps the consequences of having mortality receptors under control. 

Where would we find  the recipe for developing such a framework for living? 

Ciao.

Summary:

1. We are mortal beings yet for a span of time, we are graced with living.

2. For some, blending the two is a puzzle to face, and ultimately, to be solved.

3. How could this puzzle be solved?

4. A solution is to bring two together to exist in harmony and this could be achieved via exploring and finding an appropriate framework for living. 

5. Having two facts (mortality and need to live) as part of who we are, exploring a path to live that leads to a fulfilling life is the basic premise for our need to find a framework for living.

Related:

Building a framework for Living #1: Becoming aware of mortality

A fulfilling life and building a framework for living

Happy Anniversary, Dear Jane

Thirty Five winters and summers, 

and in between 

springs and falls, 

days of crisp sunny sky, 

and some stretches 

when mugginess stalled; 

then there were hails, 

tornadoes, couple of hurricanes 

but also, the blessings of 

uneventful days,

and through it all, 

we found strings to keep 

our souls together, 

and made some memories 

of finding white feathers,

of raising something small

to become a man,

standing proud and tall,

and so,

when you get up this morning

and are still half awake, 

the words

Happy Anniversary, Dear Jane

will sum the story 

that the years together

were not in vain.  

 

Words that describe what I feel

 “  

    ,

         .”

“  

 

    ;

              !”

“  

    

?”

…just nothing!

String theory

Physicists are wrestling 
to iron out the kinks 
from the string theory
to explain the stability 
of matter 
that makes
me, you, and our trusty dog
Rusty.

I just do not know
if it is 
a wise endeavor,
for yesterday,
when we took a walk 
in the woods
my shoe strings
kept coming loose.

I wonder 
if strings have the strength
to hold the universe together
much less my sneakers
or our hearts
from drifting apart.

Building a framework for Living #1: Becoming aware of mortality

 Arun Kumar

Pixabay

True grit is living and facing our mortality and being aware of both at the same time. 

As it has happened many times before, one fine morning we are reminded of our mortality yet again, but this time there is a twist – it decides to stay. Unlike a meteor that flashes momentary through the night sky, on this eventful day, the awareness of mortality settles down on the cavass of our consciousness.  

From that day on, the awareness of mortality becomes a constant companion wanting attention.

With the awareness that someday this show will come to an end, doubts about us living with purpose also start to raise their head. Perhaps, the confluence of the two is the beginning of the existential crises some of us face.

Being able to live a purposeful life, while at the same time, also being aware of our mortality is the rarest gift of grace one can have.  For those, who have not been blessed with this gift may wonder how a purposeful, and an equanimous living, while being aware of mortality, is even possible?

For some of us, the overarching question of living with purpose, or just living, while facing our mortality becomes a central theme. What would allow for mortality and living to exist in harmony? What will make it possible to pursue and plan goals that might as well be beyond our personal event horizon?

How to plant a honeysuckle with the possibility that next spring we may not be around to see it bloom? The reason for doubt could just be as mundane as the possibility of moving to warmer climate and leaving our present home behind.

It is important to recognize that having such goals is essential for us to have a sense of meaning and purpose. They help us get out of bed in the morning. They provide something to look forward to. They are the propellants that steer the spaceship that is us drifting in the empty vastness of the universe.

For our own well-being and sanity, we need to have or to cultivate skill to find the answer to question – what would allow to bring living and mortality into a harmonious coexistence, and thereby, world bring back the sense of purpose? Perhaps the skill we need is to find the right framework for living that makes for a happy marriage between two opposites.

As we have evolved, the necessity of providing the glue between living and our awareness of mortality has led to countless inventions.

Out there, there are plethora of frameworks for living – lose our capacity for consciousness and thinking in mind numbing activities; join a religion and believe in a life beyond, preferably in heaven, to mention a few.

But the catch is that we need is a framework that works for us. What if the popular frameworks that are out there do not feel authentic, or do not provide a sense of fulfillment?

They do not feel authentic because those frameworks are not congruent to our innate nature and who we are. Perhaps, when we visited temples long ago, we did not feel emotions of reverence that others seem to get touched with. Perhaps we have not been interested in watching TV or keeping up with trials and tribulations of the rich or famous.

If that is the case then we are forced to search for alternate frameworks, or possibly, construct a framework for living that brings a sense of harmony between who we are, what we do, how we live, and our awareness that one day the curtains will come down and this act will be over.

It is also important that the framework we construct should not shroud the awareness of mortality, and in fact, should make mortality an integral part of it. A framework that shrouds mortality, and encourages us to lose its awareness, is no different than the popular frameworks that already exist.

The point is that for some of us having an equanimous life equates to constructing or finding the appropriate framework for living that fits contours of our personal consciousness.

Living with this framework we hope to have a life of serenity and purpose and learn to live with the tension that is born out of an interplay between being aware that everything around us is impermanent and that we need to live and a  are able to accept the fact and be a functional individual.

To find the framework, would it not be good to have an algorithm that we can use and put together a basic foundation and build from there? After all, although worth the effort, not all of us want to spend years in a Zen Monastery like Leonard Cohen did, or listen to 400+ episodes of “The One You Feed” podcast, which by the way, is highly recommended, and would be an excellent use of our time.

Is there such an algorithm  that we can use?   

Ciao.

Related:

A fulfilling life and building a framework for living

Lesson from a honeysuckle

Summary:

•  On one innocuous day, the awareness of mortality decides to stay.
• With that, also come doubts about the prospect of living with purpose.
• It is important to recognize that having purpose and goals is exceedingly important.
• How can we bring mortality and living in harmony so we can regain the sense of purpose?
• The solution is to find the framework for living that works for us.
• Living with this this framework we can hope to find a life of serenity and purpose and learn to rein in the tension that is born out of an interplay between mortality and the need to live and be a functional individual.

A tribute to allpoetry poets

If you read some words when here,

either with an intent or as a passerby,

they may not have something 

novel to say 

beyond what William Blake

already conveyed 

but their freshness

may jog an old memory 

of a joy or a pain

of a loss or a gain,

and if they did, 

their penning

was not in vain.

Death whispers…

...the grudge you hang to

will have no takers 

after our last supper 

tomorrow.

Why not let go, 

and be light,

even if just for a day

shine bright.