Wakefulness.

Wakefulness

Wakefulness is the way to life.
The fool sleeps
As if he were already dead,
But the master is awake
And he lives forever.
He watches.
He is clear.
How happy he is!
For he sees that wakefulness is life.
How happy he is,
Following the path of the awakened.
With great perseverance
He meditates, seeking
Freedom and happiness.
So awake, reflect, watch.
Work with care and attention.
Live in the way
And the light will grow in you.
By watching and working
The master makes for himself an island
Which the flood cannot overwhelm.
The fool is careless.
But the master guards his watching.
It is his most precious treasure.
He never gives in to desire.
He meditates.
And in the strength of his resolve
He discovers true happiness.
He overcomes desire -
And from the tower of his wisdom
He looks down with dispassion
Upon the sorrowing crowd.
From the mountain top
He looks down at those
Who live close to the ground.
Mindful among the mindless,
Awake while others dream,
Swift as the race horse
He outstrips the field.
By watching
Indra became king of the gods.
How wonderful it is to watch.
How foolish to sleep.
The beggar who guards his mind
And fears the waywardness of his thoughts
Burns through every bond
With the fire of his vigilance.
The beggar who guards his mind
And fears his own confusion
Cannot fall.
He has found his way to peace.

Taken from The Dhammapada Translated by Thomas Byrom

Only a fool sleeps when the rest of the world is awake. Please think larger. Kierkegaard isn’t simply about breaking laws. There are those afraid and foolishly not willing to see things outside of what they know. Accepting what is in front of them without being willing to try, ‘TO DO’ something new. Unwilling to attempt anything foreign because it represents the unknown. Ignorant. With eyes tightly closed. Aggressive. Fists clenched ready to strike. Immature. Like a little child with a hard lump in the throat.

Change… Change... Sigh. Took three extra breathes on that one. This is hard cause I like the unknown. To be perfectly honest, there are no go-backs and very few opportunities to re-do in life. If you focus on what you’ve left behind you can not see what lies ahead. Change, as luck would have it is a little like flipping a coin. You never know exactly what will happen. Yet it isn’t that bad either way. And I know a few people who don’t believe in fate or chance. But life is very much chaos and a gamble.

Waking up is unknown and a gamble. Please don’t crawl back into bed after I say this… Today, tomorrow or next Tuesday could be the last day for any one of us to be alive. There is nothing you can do to stop the day from happening. Even staying in bed could have adverse consequences. You could be avoiding a car accident but lose your job by not showing up. Or you could get up; watch the road - particularly the other guy - and show up on time then work your ass off. The point being you could spend this last day hiding out from it all or embrace the world. Live it up surrounded by everything with your eyes wide open. Don’t believe me? Talk to someone dying of a terminal disease. Understand?

Yes, there are things out of your control. My mind conjures up the domino effect when I think of this concept. Ah, but don’t let the idea of it spiral out from fear. Use your mind not your reaction. You can either accept that it is all happening to you or try to take control of the things that are tangible. Things will happen whether you participate or not. Awareness gives you more control of the journey whatever that may be. Once open, you shouldn’t close the door and hide yourself away if you dislike what you discover. Ultimately, what you know and understand about the world is entirely up to you.

*More brain food. Digressed. M.