Thursday, December 28, 2006 at 1:01am
The heart of the season
We see the forest for its many trees, or at least the one in our home. Isn't home where the heart is?
Well, I actually envision the heart as our home. It is where our true reality lies. Nothing is more genuine. Nothing is more truly you. Nothing is more unspeakable. Your you-ness, my me-ness, but also our us-ness, if you will.
The heart is like our emotion epicenter. It is what makes any possible thing do any possible kind of thump-thumping in our realities. Our mind can trigger it, but the heart does it. It also keeps tally and records. It knows where you've been and what that meant for you. We all have our "No! No! Don't look! It's a mess!" areas, as well as those that are more serene. Only we can see it all (the best chance of it, at least).
It's all so exhilaratingly selfish and cozy to keep it all to ourselves as much as we want to! So many fears to keep us in our place. ... Keeping warm and awed by the towering infernos of passion and attachment. ... A real pleasure center! Heck! In there you have IMAX to replay every pain and pleasure, over and over and over. ...
Don't have to clean up for quests! Delightful!
Actually, I'm sorry for being a total buzz kill here, but that mystic haze can only last so long. The sun will be shining and the birds singing and you won't be there to see it. Instead you'll be locked on stun, staring at what you have already seen, rather than being part of all that has yet to be.
Don't get me wrong, I'm very aware that you must know your pains before you can know those of another and feel connected, but youwill have enough. You will have enough when you are able to recognize yourself in someone else — like a "Heart and Emotions for Dummies" crash course that helps connect the inside to the outside.
I treat this process like it's going in and being ready to do your homework, but realizing that first you must understand the assignment. The assignment sounds simple, but it's the hardest and frequently most neglected area of our existence. Sounds terrible already, but frankly put it's flat-out living. Well, more specifically, it's really living.
Wandering and wandering in our daily lives, thinking about what others are thinking, when, quite simply actually, we're all inevitably having the same feelings. All of us, all of the time. Once we get the gist of our own us-ness, and simplify pretty much everything, you will know and assert your you-ness and respect and acknowledge my, and everyone else's me-ness.
What I'm getting at is that once you're on this stage called life, and you're part of the "us," your heart is active (and for some, outright activated). You may speak from the mouth using the mind, and gesture with the body, but you must be honest with the eyes from the heart. It is respectful, sincere, and the only real way to connect with others to alleviate your solitude.
It's real.
Understand, also, that honoring and respecting another person's heart is part of the deal, which can prove sometimes difficult. For example, some people have snide eyes. When you think about it, you've had snide eyes yourself at some point, and, bare bones, you appreciate kindness as well. Keeping it real, you know how much it helps when someone returns the snide eyes, and, well, who wants that?
In turn, speaking honestly, we know that when others are mean, it is because someone was mean to them, so they are acting (I say acting because it is a "front" that hides the real need for connection) out of unhappiness. We are mean when we aren't happy. (Come on, at least once!) They need happy, and, now, provided you do the work, you know where your happy is!
Perfect!
So find your happy and share it! Show those meanees our us-ness!
I'll admit that it can be intimidating, and results aren't guaranteed immediately, nor are they permanent. You'll get burned, but the ashy remains are fertile and will enrich your resources. Trust me on this one. After you participate this fully in life (the "us") for even a short time, you will only feel compassion for those who do not have that same sense of comfort knowing themselves.
Win-win!
Now that the lesson is over, here is the homework: In this endless stream of doing-ness during the Holidays, try to find your you-ness. Among the pain and disparity some feel at this time of year there is a need for the us-ness to be shared.
In a nutshell — open your heart this holiday season.
You'll be on karma's nice list.
— — —
Loreen Harveyhas searched long and hard through the ideas of many philosophies and has found Buddhism the most rewarding for its clarity, personal involvement, and warmth. In this topsy-turvy world she has learned that suffering is cost-effective and it's all worth laughing about. You can reach her via email at {email compassionateawareness@yahoo.com}compassionateawareness@yahoo.com{/email}. © copyright 2006 by Loreen Harvey
Well, I actually envision the heart as our home. It is where our true reality lies. Nothing is more genuine. Nothing is more truly you. Nothing is more unspeakable. Your you-ness, my me-ness, but also our us-ness, if you will.
The heart is like our emotion epicenter. It is what makes any possible thing do any possible kind of thump-thumping in our realities. Our mind can trigger it, but the heart does it. It also keeps tally and records. It knows where you've been and what that meant for you. We all have our "No! No! Don't look! It's a mess!" areas, as well as those that are more serene. Only we can see it all (the best chance of it, at least).
It's all so exhilaratingly selfish and cozy to keep it all to ourselves as much as we want to! So many fears to keep us in our place. ... Keeping warm and awed by the towering infernos of passion and attachment. ... A real pleasure center! Heck! In there you have IMAX to replay every pain and pleasure, over and over and over. ...
Don't have to clean up for quests! Delightful!
Actually, I'm sorry for being a total buzz kill here, but that mystic haze can only last so long. The sun will be shining and the birds singing and you won't be there to see it. Instead you'll be locked on stun, staring at what you have already seen, rather than being part of all that has yet to be.
Don't get me wrong, I'm very aware that you must know your pains before you can know those of another and feel connected, but youwill have enough. You will have enough when you are able to recognize yourself in someone else — like a "Heart and Emotions for Dummies" crash course that helps connect the inside to the outside.
I treat this process like it's going in and being ready to do your homework, but realizing that first you must understand the assignment. The assignment sounds simple, but it's the hardest and frequently most neglected area of our existence. Sounds terrible already, but frankly put it's flat-out living. Well, more specifically, it's really living.
Wandering and wandering in our daily lives, thinking about what others are thinking, when, quite simply actually, we're all inevitably having the same feelings. All of us, all of the time. Once we get the gist of our own us-ness, and simplify pretty much everything, you will know and assert your you-ness and respect and acknowledge my, and everyone else's me-ness.
What I'm getting at is that once you're on this stage called life, and you're part of the "us," your heart is active (and for some, outright activated). You may speak from the mouth using the mind, and gesture with the body, but you must be honest with the eyes from the heart. It is respectful, sincere, and the only real way to connect with others to alleviate your solitude.
It's real.
Understand, also, that honoring and respecting another person's heart is part of the deal, which can prove sometimes difficult. For example, some people have snide eyes. When you think about it, you've had snide eyes yourself at some point, and, bare bones, you appreciate kindness as well. Keeping it real, you know how much it helps when someone returns the snide eyes, and, well, who wants that?
In turn, speaking honestly, we know that when others are mean, it is because someone was mean to them, so they are acting (I say acting because it is a "front" that hides the real need for connection) out of unhappiness. We are mean when we aren't happy. (Come on, at least once!) They need happy, and, now, provided you do the work, you know where your happy is!
Perfect!
So find your happy and share it! Show those meanees our us-ness!
I'll admit that it can be intimidating, and results aren't guaranteed immediately, nor are they permanent. You'll get burned, but the ashy remains are fertile and will enrich your resources. Trust me on this one. After you participate this fully in life (the "us") for even a short time, you will only feel compassion for those who do not have that same sense of comfort knowing themselves.
Win-win!
Now that the lesson is over, here is the homework: In this endless stream of doing-ness during the Holidays, try to find your you-ness. Among the pain and disparity some feel at this time of year there is a need for the us-ness to be shared.
In a nutshell — open your heart this holiday season.
You'll be on karma's nice list.
— — —
Loreen Harveyhas searched long and hard through the ideas of many philosophies and has found Buddhism the most rewarding for its clarity, personal involvement, and warmth. In this topsy-turvy world she has learned that suffering is cost-effective and it's all worth laughing about. You can reach her via email at {email compassionateawareness@yahoo.com}compassionateawareness@yahoo.com{/email}. © copyright 2006 by Loreen Harvey