ON NOT TAKING THINGS PERSONALLY

There are different ways of looking at the reasons for things. In my Buddhist days, I learnt that there are 5 different levels of causality. Buddhism has lots of lists. These days, I am happy with 2 sorts of reasons: the ordinary, this-world kind of reasoning; and the Spirit reasons for events, the bigger picture.

So if your car won't start, the natural response may be to feel frustrated, and anxious about that appointment you have to get to. The Spirit perspective would be to wonder what it is about today and the way I am that my car won't start? That way it becomes de-personalised. You may not have an 'answer', but it is a different kind of contemplation. You never need take anything personally any more once you have that Spirit perspective. You can view everything objectively. So someone is unpleasant to you: no need to get offended, just wonder why that person felt the need to do that, and what the bigger picture might be, what Spirit might be trying to tell you. But again, don't rush to find an 'answer', it's not usually as simple as that.

I was thinking about this because of the Great Extinction issue. For me, it is hard to think about, it is that painful. And of course we humans seem to be causing it, and we need to do what we can to halt it. But then I thought, from a Spirit level, it is like why are all these plants and animals choosing to leave the planet? And where is it that they go? There is pathos and mystery in their choosing to leave.

The Spirit level also tells me to just watch what humans are doing to the planet, and wonder about the process. It is a huge collective unfolding. On one level, it is tragic. On another level, it is something to just contemplate, what is it about the nature of life that this is happening? It's not like we are a disease, an aberration, that is outside of life. We are part of life, and this is what is happening. It is not just our doing, it's not 'personal. I'm not arguing for complacency; I'm just suggesting there is a deeper contemplation that takes us to the mystery of things.