Friday, March 23, 2012

More than this?

Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music answers the question:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrtRYmJ9u_8

More than this, there is nothing.

Quite. What could there be? Why would anybody want it?

If you realise, and consider that everybody you meet, even the beggar in the street, I living, consciously, the only life they have. Everybody, at the moment you see them, in the Café, on the road, in the hospital, in the school, walking on the mountain, eating their breakfast is, having the only moment of their lives that is real - now. How can you imagine that there is any need for more - than this?

This. Now. This-now. The moment between memory and anticipation, the instant where all our past makes us what we are, just now. It cannot be bettered. Even if this present moment might be dull, apparently, or painful, or sad, or just mundane - it is everything. There is not, and cannot be - more than this.

Yes, of course, we might have imaginings of the future, ambitions, dreams, plans, expectations, but, even if all, or none, of them come to be, it still remains the case that there is only, in the absolute sense of it, this. Now. This moment - and, no matter how long, or short, or happy, or sad our lives that will always be the case - more than this, there is nothing.

It might seem to be a recipe for defeatism, for regret - it would be nice to think that there might, or could be, more than this, but, a moment's thought shows that it couldn't be. It shouldn't be, and we wouldn't want it to be. This is. This is complete, and sufficient for any life.

Yes, it might be less than this. If we don't realise, at the time, that there is no more than this, we may live our lives in pointless, fruitless, and depressing anticipation of the 'more' that we anticipate, or hope for. We'l l always be disappointed...

Unless, realising that there is no more than this, we make it our aim, our reality, our dream to be just this, now, what we are and what we feel at this precise moment. If we fail to do this, but think of ourselves as what we were, or what we might be, then, no matter how wonderful those thoughts, no matter if the best imagining become true, we'll never appreciate them. Because, the only magic, the only delight, the only pain, the only part of being real, really real, is being here now. Exactly at the moment - not missing it, not pretending that it isn't here, but being in it, part of it, having it as the understood, precise and only moment when we are actually alive.

How simple it is. How odd that it should be necessary, or seem necessary, to point this out. Isn't it obvious?

When we meet another. Whether it's a moment of intense togetherness, or a glimpse into the eye of a stranger, we share our aloneness, in our moment, in our life, with another. That exit from solitary contemplation into being a part of another's life, is precious. Precious beyond our moment of being ourselves, in this moment, just now. It's an opening to another universe, another human - being a being more than just me, being a human being, being a moment in another life that, also, like ours, is made only of just now.

There is nothing new, or surprising, or odd, or wise about anything I've said - it's as original as breathing. What's odd, and in need of explanation is, rather, how far we distance ourselves, through illusions, from understanding this. Why is it that we need an explanation? Why do we find Bryan Ferry's song profound, rather than obvious? Why do we build such edifices of rationalisation to pretend, to ourselves, that anything other than this, and now, matters?

I'm not, and this obvious set of remarks isn't supposed to make you feel less than you are - you shouldn't feel upset that your hopes, dreams and memories are less meaningful than how you are exactly now. It is rather the other way around - our hopes, dreams and memories are there precisely to make now, this, exactly as precious as it is.

It's peculiar, really, that we need meditation, philosophy, the words of the Dalai Lama to tell us what is obviously in front of our nose:

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” ~ Dalai Lama

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” ~ Dalai Lama

Compassion is only the result of seeing another, any other, conscious being and seeing that he is in exactly the same moment of the same amazing thing - conscious life - as you are.