So back to business...
Why are we here indeed... I'm sneaking up on you with this one because I already know the answer I'm going for here.
I'm wondering what we take with us when we shuffle off this mortal coil see I'm feeling all authory so I'm throwing in cheesy quotes from my own fave. I know I won't be taking the paintings on the walls much as I love 'em, or the awesome collection of baking pans I've been slowly amassing, or even my damn wedding ring! But does it matter that when I die I don't take the ring?
No.
Why?
Because I take the man.
No, I don't mean when I die I'm going to murderously haul my husband into the great unknown with me. I mean that in whatever form we find ourselves on the other side, I'll have the experience & enrichment of our relationship to take with me.
So why would we be here but to learn & grow and take as much as we can with us into the next phase/era/dimension/whatever? And how do we do that? By enriching our lives with as many personal and social relationships & interactions, by always striving to learn more and more about whatever you want just as long as your mind is active, by being open to anything new that comes your way I'm not saying be accepting of everything, I'm just saying open to the possibilities.
I think I'm feeling irritated by a glaring & recent lack in this department. I've been guilty in the past of neglecting personal relationships and have, in the recent past, tried very hard to be better about maintaining communication, being a better friend... It's hard for me. A combo of depression & busy life makes for days that fly by but I'm better than I was. So it surprises me when other people seem so unwilling to be friendly at all. Are you so selective in the people you speak to that I don't make the cut? I hate to harp on it, but this feels seriously like it's because of that certain club I don't belong to. Hm.
Well, I think I've hit on something besides the hot cocktail waitress at Fridays last weekend with this idea that we're here to know people - as many people as we can know. It's just a thought I guess, but it seems to ring true and I've found that to be reliable for me.
You're right, Rachel. Relationships are some of the few things we have that we really can take with us. What we learn from those relationships and how we treat others with empathy, respect and genuineness. I just found a bunch of people from high school on Facebook recently and it's almost painful for me. I'm not the same person I was then. It's good to see what they've been up to, but I was not a nice person. I was mean and condescending. I didn't understand the realness of people and I didn't see the inherent worth in others. Not that I'm perfect now, but I've come a long way, I hope.
ReplyDeleteI've actually curtailed a lot of my online activities to have meaningful, face-to-face relationships. I visit with those I need to visit with.I try to connect with people in real life. It seems to me to be more genuine. Of course, the miracle of internet is that when I've done that properly, I can then keep things up when I can't be geographically close. We learn from, are fed by and become better people through the relationships we have. I truly believe that.
when i was 15 and my parents put me in independent study so i had all day to just walk around town. the first thing i realized were all the interesting and different people i met. i decided my life goal would be to talk to as many people as i could. so i did. and i never stopped trying to hear peoples stories. i thought this was just the right path for me but maybe it is good for everyone.
ReplyDeleteLet me add a twist [lemon, not lime] to your post. I gave a talk a few months ago and the point was we're here to know God by knowing ourselves and others because we are all the image and likeness of God. If you've been reading my posts you know I can relate to depression (leading to solitude)affecting relationships. I've set the intention for the past 2 years to cultivate and sustain friendships. I believe the online ones count too, at least when people are being honest. Glad to have met you [at least virtually] and now I got to get the image of you and a hot cocktail waitress out of my head [or not!].
ReplyDeleteWell, if that's true, than I'm happy to serve your life a further purpose. Ya know, cuz you cyber-know me. :)
ReplyDeleteWere you smoking something more powerful than cigarettes when you wrote this cuz I totally think these kind of thoughts when I do that. Not that I do that.
A few months ago I gave a talk which had a very similar point: the point of us being here is to know God, and we do this through knowing ourselves and each other. Even these cyber-relationships count, so I'm glad I cyber-met you.
ReplyDeleteNow I just gotta get the image of you and a hot cocktail waitress outta my head...or not.