Thoughts on Life
And Tsunamis
Here in this little village of Chacala where I spend the winters, life is pretty slow, and we don't get much news-- unless it's really important.
The news of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan on Friday managed to break through our isolation. People wrote to me, worried that the tsunami would hit our coast and I might not be aware of it (thank you). I walked down to the beach (my House of the Eagles is on high ground-- physically and otherwise), just after the predicted time of the arrival of The Wave.
I was relieved to see that there was little or no effect from The Wave on our coast. Life was peaceful and seemingly not connected to what had just happened in Japan. In fact, after my walk on the beach, I pretty much forgot about the whole event. Here is my image of those moments on our beach in Chacala, Nayarit, Mexico:
At the same time the people of Japan were reeling from the shock of one of the worst earthquakes and tsunamis in history, people here were quietly playing on the beach.
Tonight I watched about 40 minutes of YouTube videos of the Japanese trauma. I was stunned. Shocked. The videos of cars, boats, ships, and shipping containers washing along by the thousands in the tidal wave....were spooky. Very spooky. It was quite a perspective from which to view the little problems in my life. In fact, I can't even think of any of them right now. Photos of Japan.
Many religious and spiritual philosophies attempt to understand or explain the meaning of life -- and of death. Many mythologies have been dreamed throughout the history of humans to explain what we really cannot explain. What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of death? What is this all about!?
It's quite possible there is no meaning. It happens. Life happens, death happens. Life comes and life goes. Humans are born and humans die. Trees and squirrels and nematodes and galaxies and tsunamis are born and die. Humans have always wanted to explain it all so we can feel safer-- we create gods we can bargain with or get it right for, so we can be safe with the winners. The Good Guys.
And then something happens we just cannot explain in the context of our religions, philosophies, and mythologies. Those videos I watched included comments that ranged from distraught to rude to bizarre. They represented all the different human reactions to events so big we can't fit them safely into the tidy boxes we keep in our minds. We call them "mind blowing." And they are.
So, if your mind is blown by what you see and can't understand or explain, I invite you to make your mind bigger. Break down the boxes. Go to the space of the unknowable. If you are uncomfortable there, as well you might be, try being comfortable in your discomfort. Perhaps you can't really explain anything that exists or happens.
It's quite possible there is no meaning.
That's life.
And, my love and deep healing energy goes out to all the people touched by this event. May your bodies and hearts heal quickly, may your grief be held in love and acceptance, and may our brotherhood of humanity be strengthened by our mutual loss.
And so it is.
Allan
