There is a vast, impersonal, cosmic force. There is the great throng of humanity. And there is you.
“It demands we capitulate to it. It will not let you through unless you give it what it wants. On the other side is paradise” part of the throng says.
“You must bend to its will or it will break you,” says a different part of the throng, “just give up, and give it what it wants. It’s not so bad a thing to die a little, if paradise is the reward.”
“It demands we sacrifice how we live and who we are,” says another part, “we must fight and overcome it. Paradise is the reward we earn by standing up to it.”
“No,” another voice says “There is no paradise. This is all we have, let us make this a paradise of our own, and nevermind anything else.”
“Fools” like an undertone, “There is no paradise beyond so I will make this MY paradise, and nevermind anything or ANYONE else.”
And it goes on. The sum of the throng, the gestalt- the current- drags at you. The surf of humanity swells, crashes, and recedes, and while your presence within it is a foregone conclusion, your part is still uncertain. What is your role among the crush? What end do you seek? And what of the other- the great force- what shall you do about that? This is the riddle.
But the trick is realizing there is no riddle. There is no sacrifice, and nothing is being demanded of you. The vast, cosmic force is inside you and all that separated you from it was yourself. The realization is a small smooth stone- simple to grasp and easy to lose- unchallenging and unyielding. Hold onto it. Don’t squeeze too tight. But hold on to it. It’ll be hard to focus on anything else at first. But soon you’ll be able to hold onto it AND think about something else at the same time. You’ll think about the vast and not-so-impersonal cosmic force, about what you thought it demanded, at one point. The sacrifices. And you’ll have another realization. They weren’t sacrifices. They were good for you, and in fact they were what you wanted all along, there were just too many voices for you to realize that. And you’ll start listening to what the force asks of you a little more each day. And you’ll start acting on those thoughts. And your happiness will grow and, as your life reaches a harmony with the power that was always within you, you will be in the fullness of yourself. And you will throw your arms out and spin and laugh and love will pour out of you like the emptiless goblet of the sun. And one day, as you slow and gather your arms back to you, you may let them fall and feel in your pocket the small smooth stone, your realization. It may feel right, then. To cast it, back,
into the gently
rolling
deep