ThirstyFish

They say that, you shouldn't take yourself too seriously. Although I agree, a while ago, someone said that I "seriously suffer from seriousness". Oscar Wilde thought, "life is too important to be taken seriously". My only complaint about that line of thinking is that, many do not discern between seriousness and sincerity. Maybe seriousness isn't a necessity, but can we do away with sincerity, especially to oneself?

The other day, I was having a conversation with a friend who is among the most rational people I know. As often happens these days, the conversation led to my thoughts on and critique of, the current state of political-economical-ecological affairs. These conversations always end with the same conclusion, "civilization is doomed, unless..." It is one thing to come up with a strong and passionate argument after doing your homework, it is another thing dealing with the anticipated dire consequences of your own argument. My friend looked at me, didn't challenge any of my premises or conclusions, and simply said "it's dark". I was lost for words.

Many religious and spiritual traditions directly or tacitly teach that we need to learn to "embrace the darkness". Of course, this is not the equivalent of "going to the dark side". What they do not teach you is the how. How do you deal with the next piece of knowledge or information that is too dark for you to digest? How do you embrace the darkness?

Nurture the darkness of your soul
until you become whole.
-- Tao Te Ching Chapter 10

Photo: The Temple of Trajan at Pergamon.