There is a ghost that whispers in your mind. It says:
“You’ve had a real taste of liberation, the ultimate emptiness. So now, what is the point of life? What is the point of doing anything anymore?”
This ghost will never do you a good turn. It can only lie, telling you what it thinks is on the other side, based on an erroneous interpretation of a moment long gone.
It tells you what you want to hear.
Leave this ghost behind and press on. The light is almost visible at the end of the tunnel.
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Perfect.
Tom has gone classical
Absolutely beautiful, my friend.
Tom and Nadia,
Thanks to both of you…
The Ghost. Yes, a good word for it. The Shadow. The Illusion. The Ghost.
nice…
Hey Takuin!
This seems as if it had a specific target. You tryin’ to tell somebody somethin’? Maybe just for Halloween, huh?
Mike
Mike,
Does it say something to you?
I did not aim it specifically, but it is something I’ve heard quite a bit, off and on now, for the last few years.
The Ghost seems a good phrase for it. Seems to be real. Built from what came before. Leftovers, really.
Congratulations on the new addition, by the way.
It does, Takuin, it really does. The “ghost” is my constant reminder that I am merely this package of blood, guts, and bones. I refuse to believe it, but it’s so much easier to accept that I am this body and I was born and I will die. Life goes on, and I get caught up in the role I play in it, only to question it in fits and spurts.
My “ah ha” seems like it will never come. I think of it as a shift in perception, a different way of looking at things, that might bring about the realization, or the dropping away of the false associations. I don’t know. I dream, but the bills appear, and how quickly I’m snapped back.
Thanks for the congrats. Having a new life around brings back my old questions and somewhat intensifies the search. Do you have children? It’s a beautiful experience!
Hi Mike
Yes, the I is born and dies and is the body. But it does end. That you don’t believe it is a good thing. But you may need to let go of the refusing. (laughs)
You’ll find the shift in perception will come as a result of the change rather than the other way around. But its not something the I does, hence it seems remote.
For myself, I found having kids drew me more into the mundane. But also being real and present. Beautiful, yes. Mine are now young adults and tall, so I ‘look up’ to them. (laughs)
The ghost, has haunted me for the last year. I’ve never heard someone describe the ghost before. Thank you for your insight my friend
Thank you, Matt.
It is all there for you to see.
This sense of apathy and detachment–the “what’s the point of life” comes and goes. The point is this experience right here. I’ve noticed though that courage shows up whenever needed.
Kaushik,
Yes, it arrives at just the right time…
“Tom has gone classical.”
Thanks, Davidya, I’ll take that as a compliment.
I’ve been feeling “wordless” these days, as if saying anything is too much. It comes and goes. Today, I’m feeling “wordy” so maybe I’ll write something on my blog. You never know!
Anyway, I still love what Takuin wrote. I’ve met this liar many times.
I’ll assume by liar, you mean the Ghost.
Classical is a reference to your new picture. I know what you mean about wordy/wordless. When you wait on the muse, one never knows what will or won’t arise. Or when.
Tom,
Hey, who you calling a liar?