With malice towards none.
A.S Neill, the author of ‘Summerhill’says the sign of a sick child is that he is always hovering around his parents; he is interested in persons. The healthy child has no interest in persons, he is interested in things. When a child is sure of his mother/fathers love he forgets his parents, he is interested in other things. He is curious and is looking to explore the world. Hovering around his parents means he’s insecure, maybe he does’nt get the freedom and assurance he needs, or is being threatened in many subtle ways.
Addictions, approval, appreciation, attention. This is what society did to us when we were born. We were not allowed to enjoy the solid, nutritious food of life – work, play, fun, laughter, compay, simple pleasures of the mind and senses.So we were given a taste of various ‘drug’ addictions: approval, attention, success, making it to the top, prestige, getting your name in the news paper, power, being the boss. Things like being the captain of the team, leading the band etc; Having tasted these, we became addicted and now dread losing them. Terror at the prospect of failure or of making mistakes, of the criticism. We became cravenly dependant on others and lost our freedom. Others now have the power to make us happy or miserable.
We crave our ‘drugs’, but as much as we hate the suffering this involves, we find ourselves completely helpless. Conciously or unconciously not a minute passes when we are not attuned to the reactions of others, marching to the beat of their drums. When we are ignored or disapproved of, we experience a loneliness so unbearable that we crawl back to people and beg for the comforting ‘drug’ of support, encouragement, reassurance. ‘Hell is other people’ said Satre. ‘How miserable is a body that depends on a body and how miserable is the soul that depends on these two’.- Gospel of Thomas
We’ve got to live up to expectations, in a state of dependency, we cannot ‘let our hair down’ we’re always on our best behaviour. To be without them brings agony, loneliness. We miss them. We have lost the capacity to see them as they are and to respond to them acurately, because our perception of them is clouded by our need for our ‘drugs’ We see them insofar as they are a support for getting our ‘drug’ or a threat to have our ‘drug’ removed.Through these eyes is how we’re always looking at people, will I get what I want from them? Or not. And if they are unable to support or are not a threat to my ‘drug’, I’m not interested in them. That’s a horrible thing to say, but I wonder if there’s anyone of whom this cannot be said.
Wake up! We need awareness, we need nourishment, good healthy nourishment. Lose your mind and come to your senses. Unfortunately people no longer enjoy, good food, good wine, good water, good reading, a good book, a good discussion or just thinking. It’s marvellous. But we’ve become addicted because we have forgotten the lovely things in life. So we’re going after bigger and greater artificial stimulants. “I took my stand in the midst of the world, and in the flesh I appeared to them I found them all drunk, and I did’nt find any of them thirsty. My soul ached for the children of humanity, because they are blind in their hearts and do not see. They came into the world empty, and they also seek to depart from the world empty. But meanwhile they are drunk, when they shake off their wine they will change their ways.” – Gospel of Thomas.
We’re overworked, go, go, go. If we could simply enjoy life, and the simple pleasures of the senses, it will be amazing. Watch the animal, in its habitat it will never overeat or be overweight. It will eat only what it needs and will never eat or drink anything that is not good for its health. You’ll never see an animal smoking, or not exercising as much as it needs. Watch your cat. See how it relaxes and springs into action. We’ve lost that aliveness, suppleness the agility. We lost that. We are lost in our minds, in our ideas, and ideals, and so on. Always go, go, go. And we have this inner conflict that animals don’t have. When we enjoy something intensely, we need very little. People are so busy planning their holidays, take months planning it. They get there and they are anxious about their reservations for flying back. They are taking pictures that they will show us of the places that they have not seen but photographed. That’s modern life. Slow down, sit down and listen, taste, smell, hear, let your senses come alive. ‘Rain drops hopping up and down as their feet touched the hot pavement’. Listen, not to any one sound, try to hear them all, see it all! There’s an orchestra being played out before us.You’ll see miracles happen as your senses come unclogged, an extremely important step towards change.Visualize effortless change, is it possible, Asailboat with a mighty wind in its tail glides along effortlessly, all the boatman does is steer. That is the image of what happens when change comes through awareness, through understanding.
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