Jim Dollar's Photography and Philosophy

Just go do what needs to be done.
You will find all that you need to do it.
It is the way.
Time after time.

Spontaneously arising out of nowhere,
but, mostly out of your own sense
of what needs to be done
in order to do what needs to be done.

Trust your own knowing--
even when it seems contrary
to all reason.

Reason doesn't know any more
than wanting knows.

Trust only what needs to be done,
not what makes sense
or is desirable.

We do not choose the way.
The way chooses us.

Our place is to do the thing
that needs us to do it.
Time after time.

–0–

There is no immunity,
and we spend a major portion
of our life
making our peace with our vulnerabilities.
Instability and uncertainty
are just how it is
upon the heaving waves
of the wine dark sea.

How are you coming with that?

It helps to whine, moan and complain.
Mope about
and wallow in depression and anxiety,
between bouts with fear and dread.

You can see why most of our life
is spent doing things 
that take our mind off our plight.

Thinking about all that can happen,
with no weapons 
and not enough resources 
to fend off the ghouls at the gate,
is exhausting and on-going.

Small wonder that we turn to
sex, drugs, alcohol and money
as relief from the monotony
of fretting and worrying
over being adrift without hope
with nowhere to hide.

Buying something else 
that won't help
is one of our favorite pastimes.

That and partying heartily,
finding some action
and passing a good time.

Give me a break from seeking a break!

Let me remind myself to trust myself
to deal with whatever comes up
the way I always have
and always will,
and to stop asking for trouble
by imagining all that could happen
before it does.

We've made it this far
against all odds.
I'm for seeing 
how much farther we can go
and how much more 
we can get by with
before we leap into the light!

–0–

We think it would be great
if we could write the script
for our life.

What would really be great
is letting our life have the reins
and allowing it to show us
what it has in mind.

Just getting out of the way
and permitting our life
to live itself.

Having no agenda or goals,
no plans or desires.
Responding to our circumstances
in ways that move with the flow
of events
toward whatever seems to be
the most appropriate response
to the occasion.

And letting that take us 
to the most appropriate response
to the next occasion.

With no end in sight,
and no contriving,
scheming,
plotting,
manipulating,
orchestrating,
managing,
forcing,
pushing,
arranging
anything at all ever.

Never thinking,
"How can I make this happen,
and avoid that,
in order to land over there?"

Merely seeing what is called for
and doing that
using only the gifts of our original nature
and our innate qualities/characteristics.

Giving our life permission
to show us what it can do.

That would be really great!

–0–

Jesus said, "Do not throw your pearls
before swine,
and do not give to dogs
what is holy!"

And the Syrophoenician woman said,
"Even dogs eat the crumbs 
that fall from the table,
and it rains on the just
and on the pigs alike.
and the sun shines
on the just and the pigs alike."

Just so,
everything Jesus said
is to be expanded,
enlarged,
broadened,
deepened,
improved
and applied
as it needs to be applied
in each situation as it arises
by those who hear
and reflect on what has been said
in transforming it
and reshaping it,
in a "The old has passed away,
and behold, the new has come,"
and a, "You have heard it said,
but I say unto you,"
kind of way--
in being faithful followers
of the wind that blows where it will
and does what is needed
within the changing contexts
and circumstances of life
in all of the times and places 
throughout the ages.

Amen! May it be so as it is so!
Changing, changing,
turning, turning,
Always and forever!

–0–

There is nothing more to it than this:

1) See what's happening in each situation
as it arises.

2) Be right about what needs to be done
in response.

3)Do it.

4) Repeat through all situations as they arise.

All the ethical, moral, spiritual, theological, philosophical
orations through the ages
go into the burning barrel 
as we see,
access,
appraise
and respond
to what is happening here/now
with what is called for in response,
situation by situation.

Make this your practice
and you will be just fine,
and the world will be a better place
because of it.

–0–

We are to our lives 
as a river is to its channel. 

The river cuts the channel 
as the channel shapes 
and restricts the river. 

Who is in charge, in control? 

The circumstances are in control.
How much rainfall?
For how long?
How often?

The river cannot be separated from its channel, 
or channel from river. 
The river and the channel are one entity, 
one thing. 

We think our lives are ours 
to do with as we will, 
that we are in charge
and can make anything happen, 
or keep anything from happening, 
if we just try hard enough. 

But. 

Our life has a mind of its own.
We are either in the channel 
or out of it.

We belong to our lives 
as much as our lives belong to us, 
as much as a river belongs to its channel,
and as much as the channel belongs to the river.

Our degree of “success” with life 
is as much about who we become 
through the process of living our lives 
as about what we make happen there--
as much about cooperating with our life
as the river cooperates with its channel.

River and channel. 
One beautiful thing.
At one 
all the way to the sea.

–0–

Our memories shape us,
creating a background tone
for our life
and setting us up
for a future
conditioned by our past
no matter what we do there.

Living to redeem our past
or to repeat it
are equally
bound to it,
and we cannot step away
from how we got here
to just be here,
free to do what needs to be done
apart from the influence
of all that has happened.
Or failed to happen.

Thus the importance of 
ritual cleansing,
emptying ourselves
of the emotional weight
we carry into each situation
as it arises,
and starting over,
here/now,
with a fresh start
free from the dregs 
of all of our yesterdays,
and abounding with the 
enthusiasm and curiousity
of a Carolina Wren
on its first excursion
from the nest,
going at each moment 
in a "What's this? What's this? What's this?..."
kind of way.

Seeing how many times 
we can be surprised 
and pleased 
in a day.

–0–