WHAT YOU ARE, PART 3

Now see if you can agree on these premises:

You do exist… somewhere … here it seems. Yes? And you wouldn’t mind knowing WHAT YOU ARE. And if you know WHAT YOU ARE you should be able to understand WHY YOU ARE. Make sense? Hope so.

Well, here you go … beginning a little mind journey … you may find enlightening … ‘leading you’ to some CONCLUSIONS.

Consider this metaphor:

You are swimming underwater, riding with the current in a crystal clear river.
The water is warm.

(Swimming is a metaphor for living. Mmm? You sort it out from now on.)

You do not know quite how you arrived in the river. After a short time you realize the river must end. When and where elude you. You hope it will be a nice place. You keep on swimming. You have no choice. You meet up with other swimmers. You cannot always choose whom you swim with. Many draw near. Some fade and disappear. You join hands with some. You share experiences and knowledge of the river.

You come up for air now and then. Moments partially out of the water seem to refresh you. You plan them, but occasionally they just happen. You notice the riverbanks. Brief images appear. Some you find attractive. Some you see often, some not. You try to remember them, the ones that made you feel good. Some friendly co-swimmers seem to share the riverbank experiences. The images and the sharing make the swimming go a little easier.

Along with the others you are constantly bumping into things. You keep on moving. You develop skills to avoid the rocks or at least to glide by them with minimum damage. You learn a lot about what you pass in the river. Some things you even pick up and hold on to.

Bam! You didn’t see that rock. Where did your closest co-swimmer go? Grief. But you paddle on. You have no choice.

The water is getting murky. Your body has been shriveling. You have traveled far. Images clutter your mind. Most from the water, some from the riverbanks. You especially cherish the ones you shared. Not many swimmers are near you now. The water is getting colder, the river narrower. The current seems to be slowing. Could it be … the end is near? But the river ride has just begun. Or so it seems. And the water … is it clearing?

A tear perhaps? Recognition? Ride it again if you will. For you are riding it now. And we have joined hands for a moment.

CONCLUSION
You are always moving. You never ‘arrive’. Experiences change you but you still remain you. Others may provide comfort and advice … but you decide how you will cope with all you encounter. And try as you might to understand why you are taking this ‘journey’ and what your destination is … you never know for certain. You seem to be part of an interminable flow. You long for something permanent. But alas you are a transient. You are experiencing a life that is all too brief and insecure. And what is your recourse? Hope in proffered ‘beliefs’ you have ‘picked up’ along the way? No hope at all? Hope not!!

Maybe you can understand this frustrating, enigmatic ‘situation’ a little more clearly if you consider what life seems to be all about: Experiences.
 

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