There are circumstances
which give rise to consequences,
which give rise to circumstances,
which give rise to consequences...

And that is all there is.
Our place in the process 
is to realize and make conscious
how things are
and assist/direct the flow
toward balance and harmony
and away from chaos and mayhem--
toward the center 
and away from the extremes.

Toward the still point
and away from ruthlessness and cruelty.

We bring heart to bear upon random devastation.
We introduce compassion and kindness
into the mix.
We ameliorate the mindlessness
of clashing rocks and crashing waves
within the drifting nothingness
of the wasteland and the void.

We shine the light of consciousness
and morality into the darkness
of universal savagery.
We create good and evil
by saying "Yes" to one thing
and "No" to another.

The humanness of humanity
is our propensity to work relentlessly
in the service of what is right,
"without hope,
without witness,
without reward"
(Steven Moffat),
anyway,
nevertheless,
even so--
because that is what needs to be done,
and that is what we do.

In each situation as it arises
for as long as situations arise
with circumstances producing consequences,
and consequences producing circumstances...

–0–

It is either going or coming,
or going and coming at the same time.
This is the flow of life.

My choice is to be going and coming at once.
Staying and leaving,
living to this and dying to that,
being one with the moment
as momentary as a moment can be,
alive to it all,
at one with it all,
enraptured by it all,
embracing everything,
holding onto nothing, 
hello and good-bye in a single greeting,
life as it is
and will be
for as long as life is possible.

Consciousness is the trick.
Mindfulness does the work.
Knowing knows everything instantaneously,
accepts everything--
even the rejection of it all--
saying yes to no,
and letting it be because it is.

It is called walking on water,
riding the waves, 
swimming joyfully
in the churning turmoil
of the wine-dark sea,
having the time of our life,
here and now,
no matter what,
why not? 

It only takes seeing/accepting
to make it so,
in a "This is the way things are,
and this is what we can do about it,
and that's that," kind of way.

This becomes possible without
emotional attachment or abhorrence
to any outcome,
just seeing, just knowing, just acknowledging,
just being with how things are and also are,
moment to moment,
doing what is needed
and letting that be that,
letting things unfold as they will,
no matter what it may mean--
no matter what it means,
it means seeing what's what,
knowing what is called for
and doing what needs to be done here/now
again and again and again
throughout time.

The Sisyphean Task through the ages.
Enjoying what is to be enjoyed,
and doing what is to be done,
anyway, nevertheless, even so. 

–0–

Scattered and fragmented,
searching for a new pattern of life,
wondering where the toothpaste is hidden,
and the coffee filters...
waiting for it all to come back together.

Waking up in the uncertainties 
of another world,
giving a different slant
to "The old has passed away,
behold, the new has come,"
on the morning 
of the second day
of moving into a new house
in a different state,
and equating it
with the different world
Jesus was talking about
when he said,
"Come, follow me."

Orthodox churches cover the globe,
are preaching the gospel 
of one who said,
"You have heard it said,
but I say unto you..."
and,
"Let the one who is guiltless
cast the first stone..."

Jesus was crucified for being
a heretic and a blasphemer
and a son of Satan.
Jesus was a rogue prophet
in a land ruled by 
The Right Way To Do It,
with "It" being everything 
under the sun.

Jesus is crucified again and again
by followers who say,
"Christ Is The Only Way To God!"
Making Jesus, of all people,
"The Right Way To Do It!"

Jesus said it best when he said,
"Why don't you decide for yourselves
what is right?"

Jesus is the way 
of deciding for ourselves
what is right.
Just like Jesus did,
making plain the adage,
"The disciples must become 
like the Master
in following no Master!"

We create our own religion
by finding for ourselves
what works and what does not work
in bringing ourselves forth
to meet the world
that changes overnight
every night,
leaving us to find the toothpaste,
or its equivalent,
again every day.

If you aren't up for that,
just sit back
and let someone else 
tell you what is right for you.
Without ever asking,
"How would they know?"

–0–

We have to find ways
of telling our story--
of saying out loud, or written out, what is so about us--
of saying what must be said. 

We have to "go there."

This is the primary function
of psychotherapy,
allowing/forcing people to tell their story,
who they are,
what they are about,
what is theirs to do,
how well they have done/are doing it,
where they have been,
what has happened to them,
what has failed to happen to them,
what it all has meant to them,
what they feel like they have missed,
what has been the main theme of their life,
who have been the reliable people in their life,
what they keep doing that gets in their way,
what their dreams are about,
what their standout dreams have been,
why they think they do what they do--
and don't do what they don't do,
what their disappointments have been,
what they don't allow themselves to think about,
what they wish were different about their life,
what they wish they could change about themselves,
what are the meaningful things in their life,
what comes to mind when they sit in the silence,
what they are afraid of,
what their vulnerabilities are...
etc. forever.

Carl Jung said that all our problems exist
because people are not allowed to tell their story.

S.I Hayakawa said our problems disappear
once we become clear about what they are.

Tell your story,
over and over,
if only to yourself.

Because when you speak truthfully about anything
to other people,
they will change the subject
or tell you not to think about things like that,
or take what you are saying away from you
and make it about themselves,
commandeering the conversation.

No one listens to what people really have to say.

Start listening to other people,
and asking them the questions above,
and all the other questions that beg to be asked,
causing us to say the things that cry out to be said.

Transform the world by asking/saying.

One person at a time.

Starting with yourself.

–0–