Why would a source of life
allow us to suffer?
Why would a source of life
allow us pleasure?
Why would a source of life
decide that one is better
than the other?
Why would a source of life
imagine you as this self
who believes that one
is better than the other?
Why would a source of life
imagine you as separate
from this source of life?
Why would you?
Because it is fun to imagine.
You are you.
You are ALSO
this source of life.
Why would this source of life
imagine you as this self who questions?
Trail Wood,
11/19
The Inquiry of Suffering, Pleasure, and Existence
The poem invites us to ponder deep existential questions about the nature of life, suffering, pleasure, and the interconnectedness of existence. It challenges us to reflect on the reasons behind life’s dualities and our perception of them.
The Duality of Suffering and Pleasure
The initial questions pose a fundamental inquiry into the rationale of a life source allowing both suffering and pleasure. It suggests a quest to understand the purpose behind experiencing extremes and whether there’s an inherent value judgment between the two.
The Perception of Good Versus Bad
The poem then questions the concept of betterment, probing why a life source—or we as extensions of it—would differentiate between suffering and pleasure, deeming one superior to the other. It’s an exploration of our own beliefs and how they shape our perception of life’s experiences.
The Illusion of Separateness
A pivotal turn in the poem is the contemplation of separation—why would the source of life imagine us as distinct from itself? It delves into the idea of individuality as an imagined construct and questions the notion of separateness within the broader spectrum of existence.
Existence as an Act of Imagination
The poem culminates with the suggestion that the act of questioning, and indeed the entire construct of our individual selves, may be a playful act of imagination by the source of life. It posits that our inquisitiveness and our perceived individuality might simply be expressions of life’s imaginative essence.
Summary
We reflect on a poem that asks profound questions about why a source of life would allow suffering and pleasure, and why it would create the perception of one being better than the other. It challenges the notion of separateness and proposes that our existence, including our tendency to question, may be an imaginative expression of life itself.
Glossarium
Existential Duality: The coexistence of suffering and pleasure in life’s experience.
Imagined Separateness: The concept that individuality may be an illusion crafted by the source of life.
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
A Poem of Cosmic Inquiry
In the vast expanse where stars are birthed,
Questions linger of our place on Earth.
Suffering and joy, the dual threads,
Woven by the source through which all is led.
Why judge the strands of life’s grand weave?
In the source’s eye, do we truly believe
That separation is our definitive state,
Or could it be just a cosmic trait?
In the questioning, a revelation bright,
We are the source, in questioning’s delight.
In life’s grand play, we are actors and script,
In the divine imagination, our roles adeptly equipped.
We invite contemplation on these musings of life’s existential queries and the nature of our existence.
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