Life Writing/1

This is a writing slam.
This is beginning.
Creation
Brown earth, rich cool soil—worms wiggling their way to the open air.

I cannot help but breathe cool fall, St. Louis city air and draw life from it. Let it fill my lungs, release the stress and weight of college academic rigor. Let cool air whisper peace into my soul as I look onto life smiling.

So aware and increasingly mindful of this warm apartment and sturdy wooden desk, this machine that allows me to stand in the land of technology. Channeling energy and resouces, brain thoughts and convictions, book knowledge, conversations and life experiences—let it all soak up and ferment and sink into the marrow. Looking at the clothes in my closet—thinking of where they came from, the hands, the hours, machines, the globalization that creeps into every minute, hour of my daily existence as a waking, living, breathing, eating, drinking, consuming human being.

Gratitude. Integral. Awareness, appreciation, acceptance of life, love, suffering, joy, peace, war… being able to sort out fact from fiction and include both friend and (worldly) foe.

Is this revolutionary thinking? Is it backwards. From my studies of Jesus and my beginning knowledge of Buddhism one clear revelation occurs

The energy of human life cannot be destroyed or blocked, it is transferred—how human beings transfer the energy (of their joy, suffering, neglect, abuse, success, purpose-fulfillment) and where and to whom humans transfer that energy to is crucial in understanding the human experience. And in turn, how a human being, how the human individual person experiences humanity. Energy.

We are creation. Multifarious yet similar creation stories, passed by written and spoken word paint an interesting picture for the present day faith seeker. In this present moment… how does the individual perceive life? Through a hungry stomach, through a book knowledge crammed cranium, through eyes of a peace revolutionary, through the hands of people holding power, through the laborer’s wrenching back, through the silent wife and mothers veil, through the blues music of guitar, through the lens of faith, through a certain climate and environment…
The human experience is unique for even twin sisters—two people with the same dna. Their experience is unique in the way that each experiences humanity. Humanity—the dignity that comes along with life. If dignity, love, peace, joy (through purpose-fulfillment and relationships) is not experienced than how valuable is the human experience? Worlds apart—suffering. Worlds apart—technology. Worlds crashing, colliding, worlds stealing, worlds giving (charity to guns). Trading, tricking, turning sides, turning out mandates and import tariffs.

The cycle of power is hard to break. How does such a cycle – a vicious cycle that strengthens with each new rotation, new time around (again)… how does that circle, chain of metal and steel (it seems) become unbroken. How does on break or defeat those cold chains or greed, power, self-achievement and elevation, of status, symbols, titles, oppression, narrow-mindedness?

Non-attachment. The value of non-attachment. Back to first mention of Christ and the figures in Buddhism… neither Christ nor the most beautiful Buddhist monks were attached to people or things. Christ spoke words “the son of man has no where to lay his head— foxes have holes and the birds have nests” but Christ’s home was everywhere he went. The community he fostered, furthered, encouraged, created, inspired. And riches he had not. He was poor. The new testament describes and directly states Christ as a poor man. Sandals and leather hard feet. Maybe a traveling sack but ultimately—his needs were intangible and so backwards to the world’s. but so integral to the worlds real needs—of people respecting, loving, creating, sharing, growing, learning, being, with one another.