The Love Of All Things

Don’t worry. Life has something special in store for you. No matter how you feel.

You may love this, dislike (or even hate) that… etc etc, but reality cares little for your temporary emotions, your ideals, your beliefs, your stories and dreams.

Because reality is pretty f***ing sweet actually. It’s very kind indeed.

We’ve had those moments though haven’t we? After a long shift at work, or having battled through a stint of childcare, etc, that the moment is felt for what it really is. Neutral, untarnished, objective. It simply is what it is.

Ido Portal, whose ‘movement culture’ is based on present awareness, growth and continuous discovery. There are no single ladders to climb etc, as all movement essentially ‘is what it is’…

Then, in that moment, you love everything do you not? And everything loves you… Because you don’t need it. You don’t run towards it and/or away from something else. You meet like the bee and the flower, serving each other’s needs. Once the need is met it’s all over. And reality flows forwards endlessly into infinite of such other moments.

The love of all things is the love of nothing and everything. It’s the love of that single unnecessary silence, of muddy shoes, of missing the bus, of getting rained on, of sex, of a glass of whisky, of honesty from a loved one.

But how does one access such a state of being? Or rather, do I need to exhaust myself, to force myself forwards into and through despair in order to find it?

And the biggest question of all: is all this hippy style ‘loving life’ talk actually true?

Well… the simple answer is that I Don’t Know. Nobody does. Philosophy and Art is based on answering that very question. And yet it seems to me that the happiest people are the ones that simply revel in ‘trying’ to answer it.

I’m as clueless as you are, and yet it’s the days when I sit with that, disect it, recreate it, twist it, create something from it etc that I enjoy the most.

The days when I grab onto some idea about it, struggle to escape the unknown reality of it, and fight for the answer etc are the most difficult, without a doubt!

It seems to me that slavery, or perhaps ‘imprisonment’, of some kind is essential. To delve deeply into a process - be it external or internal. Perhaps there is no difference. The mind needs a channel and the body needs a path. Beings need a structure. Lives need a journey, of some kind at least.

Charles Bukowski - one who certainly suffered, and yet enlightened others and himself equally through his art

Without that consistency, that need to show up - for money, for art, for pleasure, for career, for family etc - we flail and flap around at will, always distracting ourselves, and rebalancing things out, without ever delving deeply into the well of who we are in essence.

So what does that look like, practically speaking? Here’s a few suggestions:

1) Commit verbally and financially to a project / task. Peer pressure and financial commitment are perhaps the 2 strongest factors in deciding our lives (in my opinion), so tell friends and family what you’re going to do, learn, create etc and then financially commit to the task. That might mean buying a set of dj decks instead of borrowing them, signing up to a non-refundable 3 month yoga course or paying for a pair of slick barefoot running shoes.

2) Deliberately spend time with people that have skills and/or knowledge that you don’t. Relationship is a journey in itself, and arguably the most powerful and efficient one of all. By creating a strong tribe around you, your path is inevitably set towards growth, learning and improvement. Don’t be afraid to trim the edges too over time… some relationships are meant to last a few weeks only, others months and others many years or decades even.

3) Plan empty time into your life. Going up the mountain is one thing but to come down from it is another. Coming down, ironically, is the best way to climb up it again. After all, we’re here to love ALL THINGS right? (hence the name of this blog)… not to strive tirelessly forever. The journey is the destination they say, and so don’t forget that our path is designed to enrich everything else in life, including those things separate from it.

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist Master. At plum village he helped thousands of people to discover the well inside of themselves, and how Death and Life are all part of the same natural cycle of being…

Freedom is choosing from the vastest number of choices possible. But you still have to choose for something.

We’re not feathers in the wind after all, but purposeful, creative beings…

Enough from me now folks. I wish you inspiration and laziness in abundance, and hope you will find your love for all things today and every day.

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