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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Let me put it straight

Let me try to keep it short and sharp...

When I talk about Knowledge versus True Knowledge... I make the following distinction:

What is socially accepted as knowledge is 'reasoning', calculating, extrapolating. The type of thinking we learn at school and university.  Reasoning is made up of theory and theory contains assumptions that might be wrong... unless someone smart built his theory on True Knowledge :)

Reasoning should actually be called 'believing'  and the theory is just a way to persuade ourselves to believe in our socially accepted knowledge, our conformistic state.

True Knowledge is an inexplicable insight. It is there suddenly, often accompanied by a physical experience rather that words or reasoning. It's a gut feeling, the prickling in your thumbs, the curling of your toes. It comes in a flash, it's a hunch.
It is not the thought that comes up when you are afraid. Fear blocks True Knowledge.
 "Fear is a poor advisor", keep that in mind. It can make you do silly things.  So, when Fear is giving you advise, just look it in the eye and say "I know who you are. And I'm not falling for your trick. I'll think about things when this wave of panic is over."
A quote from "Conversations with God"  is more appropriate: "from a peaceful mind do great ideas flow – ideas which could be solutions to the  biggest problems you imagine yourself to have"
True Knowledge might be like telepathy... It is quick and powerful.  Hard to grasp. It may send you a warning, but it doesn't put you in a fearful state!

My experience is that working from those flashes of True Knowledge, quick insights, actually gives energy. That's why I like to get into situations where I have to rely on that. Impro sessions, getting lost in a town I don't know, writing about something from my instincts, without thorough research. The sense of heightened energy that you have in those moments where you apply your intuition with success. It is then that  my acting and thinking are flowing together in concert, no clash but harmony.

Whenever I feel numb or overworked I long for quick short meetings with people I never met before. That's why I like going into Amsterdam. Just to look at 'new' people, people I have no relation with,  I have no past with. Because this track record makes me adapt my behaviour. When going through  busy streets, all I need to do is smile and have people smile back at me. Understandingly and ... Knowingly.  Is that why a smile can work wonders? Because it comes fom the same land (i.e. part of the brain or psyche) as True Knowledge?


If a smile is not enough for you:  talk to strangers. First talks and once-in-a-lifetime meetings are always so different, they can be so spontaeous and honest. If you don't mind that your story enters the life of someone you'll never meet again.  Enjoy those opportunities.




OK, I'm being negative on the knowledge that we as a society build up.  It can be correct too, especially because many 'gut feelers'  work on bending it straight.But.. I just mean to say: it is not as good and holy and faultless as some people may tell you. Take it with a grain of salt.
When there is a split up between what you've been taught, what you can come up with by reasoning,  and what you feel deep inside,  give this deep inside feeling a chance. It deserves that respect.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Loneliness

Introduction

   I have introduced to you Wisdom, Love, Forgiveness and even True Knowledge  with capitals, as if they are persons. And I told you they are good friends. As are Trust and Honesty.
In False Friends I introduced some of their antagonists: Fear, Greed and Obedience.
But what about Loneliness? Where does she belong? She feels awful, but that doesn't mean she's bad. Obedience sounds good to a lot of people, yet I believe that that is a bad trait. 
Loneliness...  I remember a friend of my mother, a refugee who wrote poems. He wrote "Loneliness, don't be afraid. For I am always with you."    It sent shivers down my spine. 
 

Definition

   In English the stem of the word seems to be lone. While in dutch alone  = alleen, in-zijn-eentje  and lonely  = eenzaam.  The dutch stem must be een (one), a lost L appearing in alleen. [the 2nd L is there for grammatical reasons]
In dutch we play with the word alleen: saying it is al-een, all-one. All is present in One: you are complete. Not accompanied by others, yet not lacking.
'Een-zaam' (~zaam  equals ~some) lacks the 'all'-part. Incomplete.
So being alone is not as bad as being lonely.  I guess you already felt the difference between the two.

Let's ask  Collins...  I gave a special color to the descriptions that are given to one word only.
lonely  
1    abandoned, destitute, estranged, forlorn, forsaken, friendless, lonesome, outcast  
2    alone, apart, by oneself, companionless, isolated, lone, single, solitary, withdrawn  
3    deserted, desolate, godforsaken, isolated, off the beaten track     (informal)   out-of-the-way, remote, secluded, sequestered, solitary, unfrequented, uninhabited
alone  
1    abandoned, apart, by itself, by oneself, deserted, desolate, detached, forlorn, forsaken, isolated, lonely, lonesome, only, on one's tod     (slang)   out on a limb, separate, single, single-handed, sole, solitary, unaccompanied, unaided, unassisted, unattended, uncombined, unconnected, under one's own steam, unescorted  
2    incomparable, matchless, peerless, singular, unequalled, unique, unparalleled, unsurpassed 

The pink words, used for alone only, are positive. All about being capable of doing things by yourself, even being better than others.  The pun ''all-one" is quite accurate.
The red words, reserved to describe lonely, are negative, speaking of being without friends, being a stranger, being destitute.. which means you are far from complete.
The third row of definitions for lonely are mostly about [geographical] isolation: unreachable. Not unsurpassable as in alone, but simply not easy to reach, not easy to touch.... 

Hmmm... touch... isn't that what we miss when we are lonely?  Someone touching you, your soul? Be it physically , or at least spiritually if there is no other way, And likewise you not being able to touch someone.  
Loneliness is the state of not being touched by  -and not touching-  those who treasure you; that's it for me!
 

False friend or True friend?

False friends like Fear, Greed and Obedience make you do bad things. Does Loneliness make you act rotten? Not necessarily, it all depends on how you deal with her.
Fear, Greed and such-like may cause you to run into Loneliness, because people will give up on you if you drive it too far. 

Loneliness is really weird to be with... how can you be lonely when you have her as company? How can she claim she is lonely when she's with you? Is she a liar? Far from it. Loneliness is full of truth... maybe too full for you?
Miss Loneliness  photo by JALF

Loneliness  is painful to be with... HER touch is cold. If you do not have the right stamina, a strong attitude or belief in better times,  then Loneliness can drive you crazy, make you go from bad to worse. But is  that her fault? Or your own response, your own responsibility?

Loneliness undresses you, makes all your frills and glitter and jewelry turn to ashes. There you are... facing the bare facts of your life.
Loneliness gives you the chance to move from hobbling through life with your eyes closed to living with your eyes open. She has removed all distractions and camouflage nets. Giving you the chance to see your goals, if you have the heart to look over the smouldering cinders. Once you've seen them, you can work your way towards them with the strongest sense of direction!

Loneliness is not an easy lady to be with. And you don't want to visit her for a long time. But when you meet her and have the courage to look her in the eye, she is a True Friend


Jo





 

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

The Tiny Prophet

He doesn't  talk much.  Which is quite odd for a three year old who is discovering the world.
Neither does he stick things in his mouth and is a picky eater.... He relies mostly on what he sees and next on what he hears. Those are the entrances of the world to this little boy.
Trains are his passion. That's why his mother buys him magazines about trains and model railroading. She's familiar with this, because her father and brother share her son's love for the -friendly- iron dragon.
He likes looking at the magazine's photos with her and listens intently to what she reads and explains. Like why there is no coffee being served in trains or about that beautiful green train -model 'plan T'-  which is called 'the Future'. His mother says he can't ride in it, he can  only see it in a museum.



She may be a bit older now, but she's definitely still 'with it'. Look at her, she goes to Amsterdam on her own. Taking train and tram.
She finds herself a seat, right across a woman with a toddler. An odly looking pair, the pale gray eyed mother and her dark haired son. With such serious dark brown eyes. But she can make this little fellow smile. She is really good in dealing with kids. 
As the train has left the station she breaks the ice. She smiles down at the little boy, lifts her index finger like a teacher would and says. "Isn't it nice, we're on a train." The mother averts her eyes, looks out the window. But she's got the boy's attention. "Do you know what the train says?" Shyly the boy smiles back at her. 
"The train says tsjookah tsjookah tsjoo,"  she explains and nods to stress the importance of her words.
The boy's eyes narrow as he looks straight into her eyes. He's not smiling, just dead calm. "Ma'am. The future doesn't exist anymore."

She gasps with surprise, looks around her for help. Not getting it from the mother who is clamping her mouth shut. She misses out on the twitching of its corners.
She moves to the edge of her seat. As the train reaches Amsterdam, she sighs relieved as she gets up.  "I have to get out here." she explains to no one in particular. And softer "Thank God."