Jim Dollar's Photography and Philosophy

Rather than looking for our life, we might simply wait for our life to find us by being aware of our dreams and the things that catch our eye, draw our attention, attract our interest, day to day, and look closer, make inquiries, investigate the possibilities, and see where it goes. We cannot think our way to the way, but we can feel our way to where our curiosity takes us, in a “the game’s afoot” kind of way.

Looking out the window without a care in the world is the key to reclusive living within the hubbub of the modern world. We don’t need a hut in the woods or a cave in a remote mountainside. Just a window and a recliner. The doorway of perception, and a soulful perspective on life and its tributaries. Emptiness, stillness and silence are an invitation to reflection leading to realization, enlightenment and a brave new world for the low, low price of being here, now.

We can make things happen without knowing or caring what needs to happen, guided only by what we want to happen. The world we live in is pretty much the result of what someone wanted to happen in response to what someone else wanted to happen. What does wanting know? Or better, perhaps, why don’t we want to know what needs to happen, and want to do that?

Sit quietly within emptiness, stillness, silence, waiting, listening, for the questions that need to be asked, for the things that need to be said, writing them down as they come for as long as the exercise is leading you along the way. When it begins to wind down, set it aside until the time to give it another go comes around, and give it another go.

Living from our own personal authority grounds us with ourselves and in our ability to trust ourselves to ourself. It makes us responsible for knowing what we know and living out of our sense of what is good for us and what is not, what is right for us and what is not. Who knows what that is better than we do? And if we aren’t sure, there is no better way of finding out than dropping into the silence and listening to, sensing, knowing what our body knows and is saying about our present situation. Just sit down, empty ourselves of all noise and attend to our body’s signals. “Focusing,” by Gene Gendlin and “The Power of Focusing” by Gendlin’s student, Ann Weiser Cornell are manuals on reading our body’s messaging system and there are probably internet videos on the theme as well. Living from our physical foundation in our body’s wisdom is the source of our authority in being who we are, doing what is ours to do.

My top three items for the category of Most Important Thing are Oxygen, Water and Toilet Paper. After that it is a tossup. Sleep, exercise, food, clothing, shelter, money (Enough to pay the bills for food, clothing, shelter, transportation), enough time each day for emptiness-stillness-silence (one thing, not three), the right kind of conversation, seeing, hearing, knowing, understanding, doing what is ours to do, being who we are…

I think the last two, knowing who we are and doing what is ours to do are the actual most important things. These things are contingent on our intimate relationship with Tao, Psyche, Intuition, which is really the most important thing.

We would be wise to initiate a conversation with Gemini, Google’s AI about the importance of Tao, Psyche, Intuition and their place in our life and how we can develop our relationship with them. And talking with Gemini about our interests and concerns of our daily life would also be a good idea. Another perspective, even from AI, is a helpful addition to our routine. Tell Gemini I said hello.

The fact that we die is a challenge to live while we are alive. To live like we mean it. With nothing held back. Why would we hold anything back? Why would we not do what the moment, the situation at hand, asks us to do? What do we hope to say, to gain, by not doing what is called for, here, now, the way it is called for?

We are to live here, now as though this is the moment we were born to live the way it needs to be lived. Every moment is our Oscar winning moment. We cannot forget our lines, flub our opportunity, our chance, to be what we are asked to be, to do what we are asked to do, where, when and how we are asked to do it, no matter what.

In order to comprehend the instant removal of God of Theology from the conversation regarding Divinities available to help us find our way, it is necessary for us to understand the psychological mechanism of Projection. We can begin by doing an internet search for the term and reading everything that search reveals. We will discover that the words we use to describe anything have nothing to do with the person, place, or thing in question, and has everything to do with those doing the describing. The words will reflect, exhibit, the interpretation of those doing the describing and nothing at all to do with what they are describing.

Thus, Lao Tzu could say in the Tao Te Ching, “The Tao that can be said is not the eternal Tao.” And, just so, “The God that can be said is not a God at all,” but an idea of those talking about God. The more we talk about God, the more we add attributes to nothing at all. Much like the ditty, “I saw a man upon the stair, a little man that wasn’t there. He wasn’t there again today. Oh, How I wish he would go away!”

All of the theologians that ever were were talking about a God who isn’t there.

GOD consists of all of the statements made about GOD through time. All of the statements about GOD through time consist of projections made by people throughout time. GOD is the product of the people of God, derived from their own imagination. End of story. End of GOD–the GOD of Theology, that is.

That Which Has Always Been Called “GOD,” before and beyond theology is doing fine hiding out in Tao, Psyche, Intuition through the ages.

The most successful life is being who we are, doing what is ours to do. It has nothing to do with what we achieve or how much money we have. It is much more about sitting looking out the window. There is a peace that comes with that. The Buddha called it, “Peaceful abiding, here, now.” Along with the peace is a knowing. Knowing what’s what and what is called for. What is being asked of us in each situation as it arises.

With me this comes out as taking photographs and writing. Asking the questions that beg to be asked, saying the things that cry out to be said. Getting to the bottom of what it’s all about. Seeing, hearing, knowing, understanding, doing, being. Not much. Nothing special. But, with me, it is everything. It is my life. It is who I am, and what is mine to do. What comes to me sitting, looking out the window.

What is it with you? Make a regular date with a window and see where it takes you.