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Simple things of beauty and pure help, that we want to grow and nurture, are what are actually worthy of the lion's share of our attention and devotion.
At some point in our not-too-distant future now the consequences of what we do today will become manifest in our world. This is true in our separate worlds, as well as our interactive world which includes not just humankind but all things and animals and even the Earth itself.
This is the way the game plays out and always has.
Individuals tend to replicate, in the world, what’s going on in their heads. The home, family and society they build and the environment they create show us what’s up between the ears. Their thoughts play out in actions and their products and… there they are for all the world to see.
For most people the balance of what we see is constructive. We all destroy to some degree, but our overall intent is constructive. We seek to create and to create a life that is good for all. We create things simple and perhaps things grand and we try to do so with minimal destruction and force. We certainly try to do so without harming others.
One lonely woman is known as “that lady who picks up trash.” She pulls a cart and finds pieces of paper, plastic, cans and litter and cleans as she walks. Another person dedicates herself to cleaning up the plastics floating like islands in the sea. She dedicates her vast wealth and resources to this effort. Both have the same intent. Both are doing good for all. And no comparison of the value of their efforts yields any real insight. They are both very valuable beings. They are both good for all of us.
There is no value, really, in determining the worth or detriment of another by comparison. Each person does what they do, and an individual can only truly be seen by observing their actions and intentions. Most people’s intentions are good and most of their creations are good.
While that is how most people are on balance, for some smaller percentage of us, the idea of “good” is presently inverted. Because of the state of their being and consciousness they seek only agreement by force. In their personal universes, they are certain that their viewpoints are infallible. They are, essentially, a self-congratulatory series of machines that operate on fixed commands. They are far more destructive than constructive.
They can seem very certain. This can even give the appearance of strength and power.
Also, they tend to do all that they do for “our own good.” That sounds like help, and help, true help, is a very good barometer of just how good a person is. To offer a hand. To help others, all others, not just the others that agree with you. Using force to compel behavior is not help. It is an attempt to align others with the machinery of thought in their mind.
I suppose it’s pretty obvious where I’m going with this, but the point I would like to make isn’t to encourage or discourage resistance against those who are creating destruction and chaos in our world. I want to encourage myself and others to avoid devotion to resistance or stopping these individuals.
Resist or, better said, disagree, sure, but don’t get so devoted to stopping “them” that you forget to take that walk, enjoy that dog or neighbor or family member, to just listen to the beauty around you, the music and art and love. Don’t devote yourself to stopping the frantic light on the wall.
That stuff, those simple things of beauty and pure help that we want to grow, and nurture are what is actually worthy of the lion’s share of our attention and devotion. That should be what is most important and shows what is going on in our minds and hearts. The film “Life is Beautiful” comes to mind as a stellar example of the power of creation over destruction and how the actions of one person can create extraordinary beauty.
The chaos is manufactured between the ears of individuals and we are seeing their actual minds at play or work. We certainly don’t want to use that machinery, their machinery, to “help” others or to try to stop them because once you begin to act on their playing field, you end up just as fixed in destruction as they are, just as inverted.
Spring is coming.
Peter Kjenaas
Peter Kjenaas is an author, screenwriter, theater director, producer, chef, AirBnB host, parent and caregiver extraordinaire. And now he adds travel writer to his resumé as he sets off across the country in a 1971 VW camper bus. But first and foremost he is a caring and productive human who has graciously allowed us to post some of his writings to this site. See his latest book at PeterKjenaas.com, and his travel adventures at Riders on the Storm Bus.
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