02
We stand before the Cyclops in any one of his multitudinous manifestations and recite the mantra of the hopeless and forlorn throughout the ages: "Why take another step? What good do we think it will do? We are wasting our time! What's the point of even showing up? Who cares? What difference will it make? Why go on with the farce?" And the Cyclops grins again, red eye flashing hatred and rage, stepping forward to claim his prize. But, with a slight shift of perspective, we turn the light around, and step forward ourselves to stop him where he stands: "Why take another step? What good do you think it will do? You are wasting your time! What's the point of even showing up? Who cares what you do or say? What difference do you think you will make? Why go on with the farce? You are not scaring us off! We are in this in spite of the best you can do for as long as the work needs to be done! We are not quitting! We don't care what our chances are! We are locked into what is called for! We are solidly grounded in service to the Good whether it does any good or not! We are glad to be good for nothing! If you want to tangle with us, come on! We aren't stopping-- or even slowing down!" The Cyclops depends on hopelessness and dejection doing his work for him. When we find what is worth doing "without hope, without witness, without reward" (Steven Moffat), there is no reason ever to quit, or even slow down. When we know what we would go to hell for, we know what we will do no matter what, and are free to live life as it needs us to live it, without bothering to even keep score.
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01
Nothing is just what it is. Everything points beyond itself to the 10,000 things. In any situation, the 10,000 things are present, and 10,000 things are going on representing "the stuff" each person-- and each living entity-- bring to the situation out of their/its own lived experience. It is a complicated world. Complexes, memories, associations, interests, desires, resentments... Mix, clash, tangle, collide, collude, color, influence, impact and create everything that happens and happens not in each situation as it arises across the board, around the world. Try getting a handle on that. Try controlling that. It is always a wonder that things aren't in more of a mess than they are in. Moment-to-moment-to-moment. Balance and harmony, Kid. Balance and harmony. Starts at home. Begin here, now. Stop. Sit still. Be quiet. Breathe. Listen. Look. Until you see, hear, what's what, what's happening, what's going on, what's being called for, what needs to be done about it, right here, right now... Awareness is our only tool. Our only chance at balance and harmony. "This too, this, too." Reflection leads to realization. Realization leads to "Thou Art That." Seeing our own disparate, discordant, dissonance, disconnection and dislocation allows us to be cognizant of others' and opens the way to an "I and Thou" reckoning, and a "What now?" dialog, with compassion and peace companions long absent from the conversation present at last in the room.
Jim Dollar's Photography and Philosophy 