All religious and mystical traditions teach us that in order
to find a higher truth, i.e. meeting with god, we have to live some sort of ascetic
life, namely, limited and yes, joyless. With limitations of how much, when and
what we eat, sexualize, passing time etc. It is clear - when readings those texts – that the
secrets cannot and will not be revealed to those engaged in eating chocolate
cakes in the sun, or those who care about the way they look etc. It gets deeper
– not in the metaphysical, somehow positive sense of “deep” but just further
down the hole – that if one happen to engage in reading “secular” books,
spending too many hours with friends, even with kids or a spouse, then one isn’t
“deserve” to receive the secrets, since anyway one won’t “get it.”
But you know what? While being “engaged” in the low activity
of urinating, it suddenly made clear to me that who cares?! Who even wants to
meet god if the low chances of making it happen come on the expenses of
spending good time in this very life, in this very world? Who created this absurd
hierarchy anyway - some schizoid individuals who came up with something that
seems as a worth-justification to one’s lack ability to be nice to people and
enjoy life?
You know what even more? If there is a god, and we know that
god gave us this world as an opportunity, and the present as a present, then
not celebrating is heresy!
There is an important difference between enjoyment and craving. The religious/spiritual/wisdom traditions I know of tell us to be mindful in our enjoyments, because craving -- the feeling that I must indulge in X or I won't be OK -- is a form of suffering.
ReplyDeleteyes you are right, and maybe to be more accurate i will use the term "addiction" that is stronger than "craving: In Hebrew for example "addiction" stands for "be sold to [whatever it is one is addicted to]" which is quit Faustian and implies lack of freedom.
ReplyDeleteBut - what i was referring to was not so much being careful of craving/addiction, but the hierarchy implied in the assumption that being connected to G-d is greater than being connected to one's children/spouse, not to mention being engaged in mundane activities such as eating/socializing/shopping/sport etc.
I went against this assumption only, i too try to be careful from what feels like addiction/craving.