There is not anything in this world, perhaps, that is more talked of,
and less understood, than the business of a happy life. It is every
man’s wish and design; and yet not one of a thousand that
knows wherein that happiness consists.
- Lucius Anneaeus Seneca
Sitting in her office when it's chilly or outside around her fire pit when it is not, Gail and I search the cosmos for meaning. It's the kind of thing friends do when exploring one another's universe.
Gail is a retired hospital CFO and a Buddhist. I, on the other hand, consider myself a Christian Stoic. Over many a cup of coffee and in the presence of Butler, the cat, we have come to a reasonably decent understanding and appreciation of the worlds in which each of us lives. This would be a relative statement because, while we have a similar time in service on this third planet from the sun, we appreciate that we really don’t even fully understand ourselves.
I have often noticed, in my own mind, how easy it is to think I know other people but not be so clear about myself. I suppose it's about the fifty-thousand-foot view of others, where things seem discernibly soft around the edges. It seems easier. Whereas trying to sort the trees in the forest of my own mind is a granular, often poorly understood, ditch-digging process.
In Socrates' voice, Plato suggested that "…the unexamined mind is not worth living…" but what the heck! Where does one start? I suppose, like anything else…at the beginning.
There are resources…
This is where, like a good sourdough bread 'starter,' moral teachings prime the pump! At least, that's what they should do. There are many of them around, most of which provide early guidance on the road to personal enlightenment, whatever that means. Gail and I both have ways of thinking about this process…and it is a process.
There are Five Precepts in Buddhist thought:
Refrain from:
• taking life. • wrong speech.
• taking what is not given. • intoxicants that cloud the mind
• misuse of the senses.
Gail has helped me understand by putting some practical 'meat on the bone' of these concepts. They are meant to be more than bright, shining stop-and-go signs. Still, ideas are to be meditated on and incorporated into one's behavior – spiritual as well as physical…to minimize the pain of life from the suffering of life (Buddhist concept).
In Judeo-Christian teachings, the Ten Commandments are a core foundation. Of the ten, the initial four recommend how we interact with God, the universal intellect from whom we emerged.
The last six suggest the way we should interact with our human brethren.
• Honor your father and mother.
• Thou shalt not steal.
• Thou shalt not commit adultery.
• Thou shalt not steal.
• Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
• Thou shalt not covet they neighbor’s hours, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.
These teachings are essential in guiding our lives but suggest, as with Buddhist thought, things we should NOT do. They infer behavior corrections lead to enlightenment, salvation, and otherwise happy lives.
Important thoughts indeed, but what are the operational things we should do? Being totally reactive isn’t necessarily helpful if we don’t have a blueprint.
Providing a path is valuable, but it is asking questions that help us get on our way.
• Why are we here? • What are our dreams?
• What do we expect? • Do we have a purpose?
• What do we want to gain? • What would that be?
These are not easy subjects and require effort to sort out. I mean, where do we start?
My doctoral advisor believed in negative reinforcement as an educational philosophy. There was nothing…no paper, exam, or class presentation that was good enough. It's challenging to learn when most of the feedback one gets is not constructive...a metaphor for some of the ways we are taught in our religious experiences.
In my view, criticism is not a particularly good way for people to learn unless help is provided to correct mistakes. This should be the role of teachers, mentors, ministers, and parents.
Depending on our teachings, we are told to meditate, maybe with a mantra, or encouraged to "…go into our closet and pray…."
The questions become – pray about what? And for what?
Is it good enough to simply ask to feel better about ourselves, solve a family or work issue, be a better person, or find our calling? Is it our expectation that we will be struck with a lightning bolt of enlightenment?
To be continued…
- ted
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