Ecclesiastes & Perspective
Turn Turn Turn - When I was younger I recall this song popping up every so often. It sounded so old-timey even though it was released less than a decade before I was. I had this love/hate connection to it. It evoked an era of great suffering and unrest. Of hope and transformation. Of peaceful revolution and futile resolution - acceptance. When you want to listen to this song, you're connecting to something far more cosmic. When you do not want to listen to this song, you're pushing everything away. Reality. We are (okay, I'll admit it if no one else will) very good at pushing away reality. Because reality is the full package. Pleasure is bundled with pain. Joy with suffering. Love and heartbreak.
When we are younger we do not grasp the notion of seasons beyond birthdays, summer recess, Christmas, Easter, etc. As we gain wisdom and perspective through life we begin to connect to something remarkably meaningful and meaningless. All of this. Here and Now. The only gold.
This past week I've been editing images. Reconnecting with long lost friends from Hollywood. Repurposing my old Pentax Lens. Physically recovering from an exhausting photo shoot. Processing emotional data. Mine and of those I care about. Mapping out a relentless backlog of creative curiosity.
Reality.
There is a beautiful melancholy joy - it is the syntax of wisdom. To know reality. To be truly alive. It is found in Ecclesiastes. Perhaps the Byrds just thought it sounded cool and it was easy to plagiarize the bible. Or maybe, they really connected to something that connects every generation. This overwhelming awareness. The seasons of time. Change. The constant. Arising and Ceasing. Renewal and Decay. Sowing, reaping, rust, and weeds. All of it.
Change is undeterred by our resistance to it. There is no pause button. Only this moment. Within the context of the manifest annihilation. This conditional realm is the sandbox of unconditional love.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Everything Has Its Time
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
*** Update***
Interestingly, this morning, as I was typing this my MacBook Pro literally died. No response. Nothing. A visit to the Genius Bar and it was declared deceased. Fried MotherBoard (most likely the video card) Time of Death: 9:05am March 28th, 2018
Remarkably as I returned home to boot up the new MacBook Pro, she (my old MacBook Pro) seemingly regained consciousness and was capable of making a complete backup to Time Machine.
This day was not as planned. But it was full of blessings and preparedness. It was a day of gratitude. Good human beings. Authentic connection. Listening. Breathing. And most of all perspective. All anger and frustration are nothing more than vanity. SakkayaDitthi. Clinging to Dukkha. Manifesting suffering. These setbacks are opportunities to verify that we are indeed mindful, aligned and equally yoked to the correct things. It is easy to stray from the path. But it is also easy to stop, take a moment and be mindful of stepping back onto the path.
Everything is going to be alright. Three Little Birds. All that arises ceases. To every season turn turn turn...