pitter patter

oh, the pitter patter

of shitter shatter

as we all pontificate

on what does not matter

is the net working?

it’s all very stimulating and the immediate and future benefits seem very enticing but perhaps a question that needs to be asked is if the net is really working in our new age of networking?

things are definitely brought together in a net but usually the togetherness is as a direct result of being trapped

science is revealing more and more just how connected we really are and for some this is very encouraging, for others disturbing

nevertheless we have constructed a man made cyber system on top of this natural interconnectedness and we seem to celebrate it with relish

I can’t help asking what we have left behind or perhaps even subdued that we feel we need to construct a superficial community when we are so naturally and amazingly already connected?

neither here nor there

… the ancient spiritual memes were never intended for mindless, superficial repetition, but rather for personal inner transformation…

they are metaphors for life

 
they seem to point to a secure foundation that is discovered after we fall, … empty and spent… not when we reach out and up

… in some self determined fabrication of man-made hope …

… hope in some convenient yet reassuring lie…

 

… these same memes suggest that the kingdom of god is not ‘there’ where we can go to

nor ‘here’ where others can come to…

 
it is within

 
maybe it is the case that somehow we need to realise eventually that we do not need an ‘alternative’

 

…we need reality

 

pressing on

the ironing board is skew
yet the folds in my pants fit it perfectly
the weight of the iron strains between gravity and fold
the heat threatens a scorching
as creases resist defiantly

the pleats of life
raise their voice

as life pleats on
relentlessly

and then
if we get it right
perhaps just for a day

even just part of the day
a simple wearing
a light walk around the block
a mild rubbing
perhaps only an unexpected scuffling
even a spot of moisture…
that’s all it takes

flesh sharpens fabric
and the skewness returns
the creases spring back

to press on is like ironing

only different

 

weeds

it does seem that life is all about striving to be what we are not

and trying to grab hold of the very thing that is not us

stumbling on…

my country stumbles on

from one blunder to the next

deeper and deeper into darkness

everyone speaking, no one listening

falling, stumbling

I wonder what sound it will make when we hit the bottom?

or if we’ll even hear it

 

Watching the River Flow
Artist(Band):Bob Dylan

What’s the matter with me,
I don’t have much to say,
Daylight sneakin’ through the window
And I’m still in this all-night cafe.
Walkin’ to and fro beneath the moon
Out to where the trucks are rollin’ slow,
To sit down on this bank of sand
And watch the river flow.

Wish I was back in the city
Instead of this old bank of sand,
With the sun beating down over the chimney tops
And the one I love so close at hand.
If I had wings and I could fly,
I know where I would go.
But right now I’ll just sit here so contentedly
And watch the river flow.

People disagreeing on all just about everything, yeah,
Makes you stop and all wonder why.
Why only yesterday I saw somebody on the street
Who just couldn’t help but cry.
Oh, this ol’ river keeps on rollin’, though,
No matter what gets in the way and which way the wind does blow,
And as long as it does I’ll just sit here
And watch the river flow.

People disagreeing everywhere you look,
Makes you wanna stop and read a book.
Why only yesterday I saw somebody on the street
That was really shook.
But this ol’ river keeps on rollin’, though,
No matter what gets in the way and which way the wind does blow,
And as long as it does I’ll just sit here
And watch the river flow.

Watch the river flow,
Watchin’ the river flow,
Watchin’ the river flow,
But I’ll sit down on this bank of sand
And watch the river flow.

 

a process of thought

Simply a process of thought – do symbols carry any symbolism in and of themselves?

And do signs cease to be when the destination is reached?

And what kind of folly breaks out when a sign becomes a destination?

“Sign’s and wonders”

Signs are symbols, pointers, directives towards and of another thing, of something else… they are not the thing itself…

Wonders are things that provoke inquisitive exploration .. they bring a sense of wonder, intrigue.

If something is ‘wonderful’ it doesn’t necessarily mean it is good, but that it makes one wonder, be amazed, challenged.

Wonders introduce mystery and mystery again makes us wonder

To seek wonder for the sake of its presence … is this not merely fanciful folly?

And is not the mystery and the momentum of the wonder then robbed of its inherent power?

The wonders of signs

The significance of wonder

WAITING ON GOD

waiting on God … hmmm?  a very prominent meme amongst christians from what I can see

firstly, it’s very rich coming in a world of fast-food, instant gratification, personal short and long term insurance, re-insurance, quick-fix best sellers, disposable culture

just the thought of waiting on/for anything is revolutionary in our times

so what are we waiting for? …. for God to open doors?

I was asked this very sincerely recently -  so it got me thinking

… and when we wait what are we waiting for?

is God late? reluctant? … holding out with punitive intent? … insisting that we first learn a lesson or two before he grants us our wish … our need …. our desire ….does God do this?

hang on,  I thought it says that he makes it rain on the godly as well as the ungodly … so, nah, can’t be then? … can it?

hey! – maybe he’s waiting for us? … but if we are waiting for God and he’s waiting for us neither will get what they’re waiting for – in fact, this way no one gets anywhere … so it’s got to be one or the other, not both? … not so?

so, what does it say? … it says that God is at rest – that’s what it says

and what could this mean?     is he tired?     exhausted?      needing a holiday?

but then again, maybe not ….  maybe he’s satisfied?  … like after a job well done … maybe even content, confident – maybe God’s at rest in the fact that what was begun in the beginning was indeed good, profoundly successful and very well balanced and well able, in it’s own good and perfect time and process to run its perfect course to a perfect end … ?

but for most of us to wait is a huge weight – especially in these times we live in

ok, so he’s resting, but does this mean he’s stopped? … now there’s a question!

it all was started in the beginning and it goes on, or so we are led to believe

we use words like eternity … a very short word for such a long time

… but then maybe time has nothing to do with eternity? … now there’s another long question

it’s often sung from the scriptures that waiting on God is good

but is it always good to wait?

well, maybe not always, but perhaps definitely in this day and age

why?  -  well to my mind we live in an artificial world – a world no longer in line with what it was meant to be – a make believe world of virtual reality masquerading as reality, in fact no, not only masquerading as reality, but actually replacing reality

we have made the world we live in and it’s a world of strenuous marketing strategies based almost exclusively on self-promotion

this is so anti the spirit, pattern and process of the universe we say we live in – even so anti the spirit of the Christ we claim to worship and follow as personal disciples (did the term ‘anti-christ’ come to mind? … hmmmm?)

I had a thought once that shook me to my bones – a simple thought really, but it changed almost everything for me …. it dawned on me that the creator as well as the creation does not plant trees, but instead, seeds are sown. … this is a revolutionary thought (if you can let the seed take root in your mind that is)

if anything is to surface, it will surface even if it has to break through tons of solid concrete

it may take time but it will surface

there are very few if any, sudden, quick fixes

trying to make things happen …. also, ….  waiting for things to happen, both don’t work – it will  happen, or it won’t  …. and when it does it will not be a second earlier or later than is the perfect time, regardless of the circumstance or context – perhaps even if the context is our own misguidedness or even mindless foolishness … now there’s another thought

this is not fatalism but the reality of the order of our universe … and if there is no order … well then, nothing matters at all … which sadly, in this day of such enlightenment and technological advance is pretty much the way we live our lives mostly – no mind for the effects of cause nor the cause of effects – no understanding of time or space ahead or past …. only, nothing but me and mine

perhaps ‘waiting on God’ is simply the time it takes to finally allow ourselves to see the reality of who we are? … also the reality of what we are, where we are and what we are standing on  … so that then we can respond appropriately

perhaps it’s the time it takes for us to come to a realisation of who or what God is? … for us?

and who or what we are … for God?

… that is who God is …

…. that who we are is what we are

…. that who we or God are is not what we’d like it to be, or wish it weren’t – which is just normal marketing and merely vain magic tricks  to try perhaps stay the hand of the inevitable for a while  (did you hear the word witchcraft?)

there is order out there as well as in here … so maybe waiting on God is the realisation that shouting louder only makes us deaf to the realities around us…

… that trying harder only increases the resistance …

… that giving up only prepares us for collision

but like God, we too can be at rest

my name is not

So there were these people from long ago who basically led seemingly very unexciting and mostly uneventful lives, or at least it appears that way.  Every now and then there was the occasional conflict, maybe a tribal feud, a battle over territorial rights, perhaps a minor war even, but mostly there were huge gaps of sometimes even decades between one recorded event and the next.  During these long gaps these people mostly were peaceful shepherds.  Nomads on a vast and seemingly endless horizon.  Yet even then not many strayed far from the place of their birth or where their family had dwelled for generations before.  They had flocks of goats, sheep, maybe even camels or some horses.  Really very primitive and pedestrian compared to our present day.  There was technology of sorts yes,  but nothing compared to what we know of now-a-days.  Attention to detail was probably exclusively centred around weather patterns and the well-being of their flocks, you know, ticks, fleas, hoof-rot and finding adequate grazing and water and also preparing for the dry periods or cold winter times when natural provisions from the land were usually far less plentiful.

They lived mostly in tents or possibly in natural shelters like caves.  Occasionally they established villages or cities but this was not often and usually only when circumstance really dictated the need.  They lived with no running water other than the occasional river or brook  and no mechanised ablution systems.  A stroll just outside of nose, eye and ear-shot with a bundle of dry leaves sufficed it seems.  Times were tough in some ways perhaps but it was all they knew and there’s no significant record of any consumer complaints for inadequate or untimely service delivery.

It seems as if their major value was life itself.  Prosperity was measured in terms of  new life and the health and abundance thereof.  Children were a blessing worthy of the highest joy and celebration as were the offspring of their livestock.  Wealth was measured in years lived and the simple yet profound fruits of the living body – whether that body was human or animal or the earth itself.  They were born, lived, gave birth and then they died.  There is seemingly very little evidence of 2, 5, or even 10 year plans, neither the need for annual vacations or retirement.  To hand the riches of experience and close-knit company to their offspring was more than enough, a celebration in and of itself.

As for me, I have traveled more in one day than most of these ancients did in their entire lifetime.  My personal environment is so advanced compared to theirs that from their point of view it would most probably seem like unfounded, fictitious fantasy of the highest order.  More has happened to me in a few short years than has happened in an entire lifetime with them.  I know more, I have access to almost everything I desire and amazingly most of it is attainable if I truly put my mind to it although the vast majority of the world are living way under the most very basic of subsistence levels.  To add to this my days are cluttered by all manner of things, plans, procedures and activities that mostly will not last longer than a few short years if I am lucky.  It seems I am on call 24/7 to and from people and things, most of which I have no real relationship with at all.

My life expectancy is higher, yes, this is true, but only due to the medical technology and artificial chemicals pumped into my body over generations and the way our modern age has developed machines to keep alive those who should have died and kill those who should be living.  What I can look forward to is leaving behind for my offspring a totally disposable world that has exponentially reducing sustainability and no real hope of a livable future … yet we celebrate our achievements and even regard ourselves as the most enlightened, educated, sophisticated and technologically advanced generation to have ever lived on earth.

Maybe I’m just an incurable romantic, disenchanted with the life we now lead and consequently doomed to wander restlessly in search of ever illusive meaning and peace, forever looking for those paths that lead elsewhere?  Maybe I am simply dwelling in a past I don’t or really cannot ever begin to fully understand and therefore wishing on futile, vain fantasy?  Perhaps I am totally deceived?  And perhaps there are some of those out there who lay claim to know who they are, where they are going, what they believe, and what this all is about?  I have no fight with these people, but I also have no envy of them.

I do have a nagging thought that won’t leave me though.

The thought that disturbs me personally is that these ancient, primitive, uneducated people I write about, …  their names are recorded in the ancient texts which have survived in some form to this very day.  They have a powerful legacy and their story, though primitive, possibly overly simplified and mostly culturally veiled and vague lives on, and will most probably live on for as long as mankind is around.

Their  names are written down in the sacred scriptures.

My name is not.

we cannot stop, but perhaps we can start

we cannot stop, but perhaps we can start

perhaps we cannot stop anything but we can start something to bring about change

nothing is ended

it comes to an end when it has run its course and is finished and is over

and then nothing can stop it from stopping

but things can have a beginning and we can be a part of this

perhaps this is what we are really called to be a part of – new beginnings

to resist evil only makes us like it

to bring about transformation by beginning a change by planting a seed is the privilege of kings

waiting for its fullness is honouring the order of life … and death

seeds reproduce according to their own kind

to destroy is the intended works of evil

but we are here to bring life instead are we not?

we cannot stop something that has started, but we can begin to end it in a way by starting something that will gradually overcome what was before

it is said that the kingdom of god is within, not without

applying resistant pressure will achieve nothing

this is merely working from without

initiating creative movement will achieve anything.

even still, perhaps we need to be careful of that which we start -

… . .   .    .    once it has begun it cannot be stopped …

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