the value of living

– cut and paste from somewhere else in the magic world of the electronic jumble of metal and plastic in this little computer sitting on this little table... because the first time i wrote this – there was some sort of internet glitch – and ..."poof"... gone...
which fits in quite nicely really – with what i would like to say...
a little talk about the value of life.
which is not something much to do with thought – but thought is the only part of us that is the least bit interested in value.

so using a flowing sort of thought, still conditioned by my own life experiences – which is the only way i can talk about value (or anything else) i would say that value is subjective and relational... and therefore is subject to change as the flow of relations changes...as they inevitably do...

we have changing ideas of value – of "education" and "morality" or even the more nebulous "sense of self worth"... which is based on a loose set of more or less culturally acceptable agreements...

sometimes an idea of value has outlived it's day – yet is still perpetuated by generations who have been taught to become addicted to their own way of thinking... and sometimes an idea of value changes as the relational qualities of the culture changes...

but regardless – as long as the idea of value remains there is the "measuring up"... of one thing having more value than other – but the truth of that is always always subjective, conditional and relational... but as long as you know that – then living in the relational world, as we do – can become a dance in which we become active rather than passive participants ... we dance through our choices – rather than being herded by the group mind that has been accepted as "truth"... to the day we die – when these notions of value – whether than be the group's idea – or our own unique idea, along with all of these other etherial thoughts we call mind... just pops like a bubble ... or the connection between mind and body is cut and ...poof.... gone.

so were any of those thoughts real? were any of them true? and what happens to mind after death – i surely do not know... i have been taught some things – but that is not the same as knowing.

so what do i actually know about the value of living... is this. that living is simply living... but much grander than just you living. it is in the breathing – long draws of air and feeling the pleasure of that ... the feeling of a pebbled path on bare feet... take a drink of water – from a stream... or from the tap and you are the water as it makes it's chaotic journey around and around the world... eat something that grows in a garden or something from a plastic wrapped cardboard box and you are not just you eating... you are the earth itself nourishing the earth... you are the sun radiating energy to the sun... and you are that from which the sun arose... you are all the union of your mother and your father – and their mothers and fathers... you are all the sum of all relationships in this very moment... relationships of those you know – and those you do not know – like the men and children that pick the coffee beans... and those who cut the trees for the packaged foods... and all of the factors, of body and mind... of politics and educations and idealogies that led up to this very moment... that is what you are....
but all of that is so transient... even the sun and that from which the sun arose...

so how can we speak of value when we should all be gasping into total amazement and wonderment! treating each part of this rich living with the upmost respect and reverance! for we can be aware of all of this... and perhaps that is the value of living.