Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Life Remodeling

Life in the big metropolis is taxing!
The smog and pollution are assaulting my immune system every moment.
The noise, smells and lights of the city overwhelm my senses.
My psyche is corroded by the rat race and doggy dog mentality of Hollywood.
I need to get out of town.
I need to recharge my batteries and cleanse my mind and my soul.

Nature for me is the temple of the living God and there is no other place I feel his/her presence more vividly than in the middle of nature.

It was some time last fall when I ran out of the city in one of my weekend escapes in search of a breath of fresh air and some sanity.
And I found my self driving by this patch of forest.
The colors of the autumn had painted the trees in fantastic hues of yellow, orange, red and browns. It was so inviting I had to stop for a quick meditation.

I picked out a spot under a majestic tree and lay down on the thick cover of fallen leaves but I couldn’t close my eyes.
The canopy above me was breath taking.
The branches of the trees had lost their summer fullness and revealed patches of emerald blue sky.
The sunlight was flowing among the branches like golden honey and falling leaves were dancing a fantastic aerial ballet in the autumn breeze.
It was more beautiful than words can describe and I tried for a moment to capture, to absorb, to become one with this amazing transformation occurring in front of my eyes.

And then it hit me like a ton of bricks. A horrible thought:
God is a demolition man!
God is destroying all the summer’s beauty. He’s taking down his own creation.
But how can destruction be so beautiful, so peaceful, so natural?
Why is my soul full of love and joy and peace when everything is deconstructed and taken apart?

And then it hit me again.
God is not destroying his creation.
God is remodeling!

Autumn is just the preparation step for winter and winter is nothing but Gods clean, white canvas on which he will paint the explosion of green and color of the spring!
My soul was overwhelmed with wow and wonder.
I close my eyes and slipped into my meditation.

I have read many books on human behavior: Some of them serious stuff – required readings for my therapist license – some of them self help, pop culture fluff – but a lot more fun to read.
Pretty much all psychology and spirituality revolves around the concept of fixing you up, making you feel better.
One is doing it by getting you in touch with your true self and the other by putting you in touch with your true nature.
But your true self and your true nature is God and God is change, renewal and evolution.
God is the dance of Shiva an Kali, not one nor the other.

We spend our life patching up, painting another coat of appearance on hour existence, fooling ourselves that we have attained enlightenment and happiness - like enlightenment and happiness are some sort of trophy one puts on the fire place mantle.

I have never heard anyone saying:
Life is an ongoing project and if you don’t like it take a big hammer and tear it down.
Get a fresh start. Get a new life!
Do some life remodeling!

10 comments:

Sylvie said...

Awesome - made me laugh, too.

Destruction is creation, and creation is destruction. You have to let the old go for the new to begin. Terrific advice :)

Anonymous said...

Remodelling sounds like a good idea to me. I'm just not sure I totally want to de-construct in order to re-construct ... but hey, I'll try anything once.

TALON said...

Great thoughts, Buddha. Nature has to be destructive in order to continue evolving...and we definitely can use nature as an inspiration to keep our lives evolving.

Psiplex said...

HAd a walk in a Pennsylvania forest park in the autumn. It was like being in a cathedral that God had built. It was so overwhelmingly spiritual I just sat down and was overcome with the peace and beauty of it all. When I looked up from where I was sitting the sun had come out from a cloud and shone through this golden maple and it was sheer beauty. Just stunning. To this day, I can think back and sit in that natural cathedral filled with God's presence.

Diego said...

Recharging for remodeling. The divine as designer ... I like.

Anonymous said...

I love the bohemian free association of your posts. This one is a great example. I have been re-creating myself periodically over and over again through my life. Now, just months away from 40, I find myself wondering if I should STOP rearranging. Maybe it's a lifelong necessity ... to always be evolving. Thanks for the thoughts tonight.

Unknown said...

@ Sylvie – Construction and destruction are two sides of the same coin!

@ Aggie – you need a blank page to write the story of your success!

@ Talon – We have no choice, we are nature :)

@ Psiplex – I know exactly how that feels!

@ Diego – I am happy you agree!

@ Damien – We start dying the moment we stop growing.
Keep up the remodeling!

Anonymous said...

I love Autumn. The extrordinary blend of colour, gradually rising to a crescendo, before disappearing and revealing the 'bones' of nature. It's a bit like taking off your make-up. It allows the skin to rejuvinate and get ready for a new day.

Even after fire and floods, life blossoms. Nature survives each of god's 'deconstructions', It's mans 'destructions' we need to avoid.

A friend of mine believes we don't touch the earth enough with our bare feet. I think he's right. We need that physical connection. It's revealing and rewarding.

Christian Apologist said...

This reminds me of one of my favorite verses in the bible From the opening section of Pauls letter to the Romans.

For God's wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.
Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.


The question is, will you become like the leaf, which withers, dies, and once again returns to the dust from which it came? Or will you revere God and become like the tree, and though death touches you, it can only bring renewal and majesty.

Mark said...

Very well said. I enjoyed your Autumn thought process.