Ramblings Extra - First published Spring 2020
Ramblings from David
I've lived a lifetime. Tomorrow I will have lived a lifetime. For a 5 year old, 1 year amounts to a fifth of their existence but they don’t carry that around as a measure for living in their present. For the child, 1 hour of play is time to do many things. For many 80 year olds, 1 hour is just enough time to finish a cup of tea and think about what they might do next. Two lives, separated by longevity and experience can see and translate things very differently. Their responses to situations are heavily guided by vision. If the question is, "Would you like sugar in your tea". An 80 year old would just know and most likely won't consider there could be a different answer. A youngster may still think about it - still not sure. Both people answering with an inner understanding of what a lifetime feels like.
There are living trees that are estimated to be around 5000 years old.
The Bristlecone Pine is just one example of these long lived trees. In the lifetime of one of these trees, when they were first
seedlings, man was in the Neolithic using stone tools.
They were growing for hundreds of years before construction on the Great Pyramids began. They saw the rise of civilization,
legends, empires and were 3000 years old before Jesus Christ was born. One lifetime spanning what most of us would describe
as the majority of human history.
From its’ origin, life on Earth is thought to be at least 3.5 Billion years old. In this time many forms have emerged but if ‘Life’ itself, is seen as a single entity, its lifetime is 3.5 Billion years – a consciousness with such a lifetime maybe considers the last 5000 years to be something that may be best described as the present moment - less than a blink of an eye. Life does what it does. Its very good at it. If there is something wrong it will, with vision and wisdom, sort it out. Life is a treat for all. We have a duty to be at one with the life we are. The duty is a freedom and a joy as long as life is not treated with disdain or abused.
We may be living in strange times at the moment where a polite gentleman's cough can clear the queue at a supermarket
checkout, but globally many people are enjoying more and more of life since the Covid 19 outbreak. They are seeing people
in a different way, valuing the world around them – achieving a peace that they are not likely to have been able to achieve if
they were never given the break that has been forced upon many. The change in global habits has seen our world healing
itself and delivered proof of the impact human activity is having on our World and life. Even a walk in the countryside
has made people see the transforming health benefits of an environment not polluted with road and airline noise. The value
and appreciation of our open spaces has been refreshed and connections to life have been strengthened.
Those who have been
lonely during 'lockdown' understand how important friendships are and will have more understanding of those who have been
lonely and isolated before the changes. Appreciation of the little things that are so important for safe and happy living
has been rekindled - not least food which for many became scarce as the shelves in shops became empty. How long has it been
since those in the lands of plenty reassessed their priorities, to see what is really important, with a moment of clarity that
rid many of a stagnation that had been building up unseen.
There is great wisdom in the World, nature and of course God. When we considered the question "Would you like sugar in your tea" there was a response from the older person that was more of a reaction derived from longevity. With such a privileged position in the world humans really don't want to become the fly in the ointment. Life is 3.5 Billion years old - it knows if it likes sugar or not and will react without a blink of the eye if there is something wrong. Unhealthy patterns will be changed as a natural act of existence.
Stuck in a routine is not the same as enjoying a healthy routine. Polluting industry may have been the necessary path to new ways which don't pollute - allowing us, as a species, the things we enjoy now and in the future without causing harm or being disrespectful to life. This can best be achieved if the will of the global population is open to welcome the changes. The new global awareness that has been forced upon us is opening the doorway. A doorway to the new ways which are developing right now.
It was predicted the Age of Joy would begin amidst events that no man will be unaware are happening. That time is now. The Age of Joy has begun.
