“Death is the great equalizer - the great reminder of what’s important: the moment, the experience, the memory. “Memento mori” over “fuga mortis”.”
— personal aphorism
Sorrow and depression make everything complicated, serious and heavy. Contentment and joy make things simple, amusing and light. While philosophy can lead towards both ends, it is only by (doing our best to emulate) living in the moment that we can experience the latter. I think I’m starting to learn how to do just that. Time to live the way I want, regardless of the circumstances. Here’s to now.
∞
moment
Extend
and retract.
Pendulous leg -
foot barely touching ground.
Say toes are severed
say bone is broken clean;
say death is close ahead:
what then?
Say nothing happens -
I shudder to think.
The pull is overwhelming.
If only these futures would show.
Sometimes I do not wish to see.
Sometimes I simply wish to know.
“The distinctly human phenomenon of being unable to remain in and appreciate the moment could be ascribed to what could be called “temporal greed” - an experience is not enough in itself, in the present, and only gains significance and value if it is able to be repeated and enjoyed multiple times in the future.”
— personal aphorism
“Freedom does not lead to a truth of any kind. It takes us back to its home: the chaos where it was born; where it belongs.”
— personal aphorism
Must we immediately spring into action and suffer the consequences, only to continue the process of trial and error? Would it not be preferable to consider thought a necessary first step of action, outlining its potential and helping us envision it? Perhaps to accept that would mean that every moment is a choice, a burden which a free mind could possibly consider too heavy to bear.
∞“The only absolute is relativity. The only constant is change. The only certainty is doubt.”
— personal aphorism
“I believe the first duty of philosophy is making you understand what deep shit you’re in.”
— Slavoj Žižek
When considering a moral code or philosophy, remember this: you don’t need to like it for it to be OK for others, and others don’t need to be OK with it for you to enjoy it. “It” can be any action or preference or way of being.
∞