Being and Being Human

Being and Being Human

I have been led recently to ponder and think upon the nature of being and being human.

The mantra... BE. HERE. NOW ... has always been a bit of a credo of mine, i have often pondered what exactly that means. Initially i thought that it was an existential state of being, and that by stripping away the baggage of ones personal history, and releasing oneself from the hopes and dreams of ones projected future self, one could arrive at a pure state of being, uncluttered by any retrospective, perspectival analysis that accompanies ruminations on a life lived, and simply be free from the mirage of some fantastic projected future self.

This pure state of being, the point at which Buddhists and existential phenomenologist's alike state is the point of liberation, at which one can jump off and experience the pure you, and be totally in the present authentically experiencing the liberation of the true self turns out to be nothing but pure experience. It cannot act in and of itself, it has no will of its own, no hopes or dreams that foster growth, no impetus pushing it ever onwards, no history anchoring it to anything. It ceaselessly remains in the temporal stream, allowing for only the ever changing moment to imprint upon it the reality of its own pointed perspective, and in that moment sheds all memory of the moment that has passed, it is but pure experience.

Yet, without hopes and dreams, without the baggage of ones life, and the historical construct of our existence we are left like flotsam on the surface of a ceaseless river. No will to move on, no climb or descent, no concept of right or wrong, no joy, no pain, nothing in fact that would separate us from nothingness itself except for that pure state of experiential perspective. Like peeling away the layers of an onion to find that at its core nothing remains, except an action-less, pointless, meaningless pointed perspective of pure experience.

Some have said that this is the moment of true liberation. An epiphany of knowing, that all else outside of this pure state is simply an appendage, an accidental happenstance that is not the real you. Yet the accumulation of moments piled one upon another are, at least in part, what define us as unique perspectival instances within the stream of this experiential consciousness. Future projections, images, dreams, desires, drives and constructs, depend upon the accumulation of these moments. The continuity of self is formulated so as to add even further to the appendages, if one can call them that, of the qualities we define as intrinsic manifestations of the self.

So although to experience such a moment may be enlightening, may free one from the design and detritus of reality created and occasioned, is it not in the accumulation of such moments that we become truly human. All our fears, dreams, joys, tears, wishes, hopes, fragility, regrets, triumphs, lived authentically, completely without fetter and brought into that ever changing and ever present moment are what make us human, what gives us our unique flavor, and creates the "us' that we are. For without them, no matter how desperate or despicable they may seem, no matter how dashed and destroyed, disabled and forlorn are those projections or memories, without them we are nothing but experiential flotsam in the stream of some great Temporal river flowing endlessly to some great uncharted sea.

Is that why we are here?....to strip away those things? To shed all those appendages, and reach and stay in some experiential nirvana, where in a moment the ego, superego, all personal history, and the histories of those we have loved and associated with, is annihilated in favour of a state of nothingness from which no action can come?....are we not human?...do we not mean anything?

I think not. For although it may be enlightening to experience the transcendent moment, to stay in such a place is a denial of life itself, a denial of all that makes us human, a denial of all those who we have loved and lived with, all justice and injustice, all hope and every dream, it is an a-morality of being. A dissociation, a disconnection with our humanity.

So let us experience that moment if we must, and i would suggest everyone does, as it will deepen that sense of self and well being, by connecting one to something greater than oneself, and remove the illusion of isolation, but never let us forget who 'we' are....who 'you' truly are....fragile, driven, bio-energetic beings who have the power to project, and forge new destinies in the true light of a truly accepted authentic past...for without that baggage, without that history, without our dreams, or hopes, or fears for the future, we are barely human. So many manifestations of love are not possible without that acceptance. Light merely falls, but is rarely projected without that authentic acceptance. For to stay in that state, seeking to deny the multidimensionality of our projected state, seeking to deny our humanity, we are like eternal black holes into which a constant flow of light and love disappears and is crushed under the weight of its own meaningless nothingness.

Yet with that realization and epiphany brought back into an authentic present moment, in which the entirety of who we are as human beings is merged with the reality of that infinite Epiphany, we can enjoy not only a more truly authentic state of being, in which mutual enlightenment in the moment and the multidimensionality of a fully integrated perspective can project authentically and clearly into the present and future states of being, but also we allow the light and love found in that place, to project through us.

In such a state, the deepest qualities of who we are as human beings can be extended more fully, free from the attachments we may, and possibly would, have impinged upon it had the enlightenment not occurred; but also free to shine forth in its true humanity, a melding of the divine with the true gift of being Human.

So... BE. HERE. NOW... but let us do so in the enlightened knowledge of all that we are, all that we have been, and all that we can become. Not stuck in or attached to those memories, dreams, or desires, but integrated with them, as authentic beings, in the knowledge of the unity of your own humanity, in light of the experience of the epiphany of that transcendental moment. For in such an authentic state, we become truly human.

Be Here Now!

© Richard Michael Parker 2009

What are Poets For?

"What are Poets for?"...

Writing poetry, starts in my soul, flows through my heart, up to my head, then its out of my hands.

Sometimes we create from a place that knows not where, when, or why, and the meaning is a revelation over time. Sometimes it is revealed through the observer, at other times the hidden meanings of a poem ferment inside the soul, and only become clear within a context that has yet to be defined.

I catch myself creating pieces and poems that have little bearing on my mind set at the time, and then find them transforming in the minds of those that read them, indeed my own mind when I re-read my own work, in a way that simply would not have happened had i sought to imprint my own limited conscious idea's upon them, without allowing the well spring of the subconscious to foment into the works, often imbuing them with a depth and layered meaning, absent in more cerebral and calculated work.

Of course that's not always the case. As artists it is important to be open to a reasoned work of art, as much as it is an intuitive one, both have their place. I certainly like to allow for the possibility of multiple avenues of inspiration, be they emotive, cerebral, energetic, social, or any other avenue, in any one work. Often there is a large cross over, so that at first glance a work might seem to be speaking on one level about a social event, love, or some particular circumstance, and at the same time, on quite another level, speak to the unity of soul, or the union of the heart, and then, at an altogether different level, it might echo sentiments of a more universal wisdom, that seeks to transcend the mundane understandings of the current mindset, and push the reader beyond those barriers. For it has ever been the case that the transcendent is the ultimate province of the 'Poet' and 'Artist' alike.

For as much as the artist uses their implements to create this moment of transcendence, an artist can be used as an implement also, a medium of sorts, and it is the greater sensitivity of the artist, that allows for the transcendent moment to occur, so long as the artist allows the intuitive to flow freely from the well spring of the unconscious.

Transcendent art then, cannot just come from the confines of an already understood knowledge base. For by its very nature, it extends beyond that which we know, at least cognitively. Great artists then, and great artworks, have the capacity, to not just redefine that which is around them, but push beyond the envelop of that which is knowable. Feelings, and empathetic genius, allow for that moment to occur, free from the strictures of a reasonable creation. This empathetic and creative genius is available to all who would allow for its flow, and defies the reasonable and orderly, in favour of the unconscious and intuitive.

Now it must be the case that in bringing this flow to the fore, within a technical and real sense, a measure of balance and order must be employed by the artist, but not at the expense of the flow. For when the intellect interferes with the intuitive, the imaginative is often sacrificed. In short, on occasion, it is not only good to say 'I did it because I felt like it', it is necessary. For transcendent art is outrageous. In order to transcend the mundane and formally known, Love what you do, fear not, and 'Be Outrageous'!

Poetry is always a relationship. More often than not a relationship forged between relative strangers, who for a brief time inhabit a common ground, created systemically through the interaction of both, by way of the work itself. As a poet I am aware of this, and therefore allow many of my creations to come authentically from a place that allows for the possibility of the transcendent nature of this relationship to blossom. If allowing is indeed the right word, for it is the case that this relationship occurs whether we allow it or not. However, these connections between seemingly disparate psyches, moments of consciousness in both time and place, often meaningfully associate in a synchronistic manner. Forging, a transcendent synergy, that could not have occurred through either of the participants alone. These are the connections that germinate the seeds of transcendence within the artistic relationship.

Once a work has been set down, it becomes the tangible medium of this exchange, and therefore a context of sorts in which both poet and reader dwell for a time, sharing the contents of their own psyches, as they exist for each, within the stream of consciousness.

I am always aware that as the initiator of this process and relationship, it behooves me to be both sincere to the personal vision i wish to convey, or the intuitive evocation that flows through me, but humble enough in the process, to leave latitude enough for the interpretive possibility within the reader, as we discover the deeper meaning of the poem together. Poet, often in an absent passive capacity, aside from the work itself, the reader, in a more active present, filtering the work through their own psyche as it exists at that moment.

As poet, I try to build into, and between the words, or at least allow for, multiple avenues and streams of meaning, both temporally and personally, so that not only each word has multiple possibility, and a point of reference for the reader, but also combinations of words, phrases and images have a fluidity that allows the perceiver to gain something from the poem no matter where there consciousness happens to be at the time.

Along side the actual text, being present in the spaces, the silences between the words, can be as important as being there for the words themselves, and it is often in the silences, and spaces that the intuitive flows most freely. Of course in more intuitive works, this happens completely naturally, and the multidimensional quality of the poems, is a discovery over time for both reader and poet alike, both within the text, and between it.

I read poetry in the same manner, knowing that I will likely never inhabit this moment a second time, even though I may retain a continuity of consciousness, a craft of sorts, that flows upon this endless sea, and retains, in this truth, a stream of awareness that I bring to the poem as reader. This creates a peculiarly unique experience, one that allows for the possibility of the transcendent to occur.

Synergistic art functions in exactly the same manner. When two or more artists allow their work to come together, they do in fact create a new art-form, that neither would have imagined possible had they remained isolated by their own intuitions and visions. This, 'Transcendence', through synergy, allows for the art itself to take on a multidimensional quality which transcends its own former borders.

It is always a kind of trust, a trust in the process of which we are all a part, and through which we mutually discover new horizons. To do this synergistically, is to allow for the possibility of interpersonal transcendence, far removed from the confines of any personally stultifying intellectualism. The artwork becomes greater than the sum of its parts, when in the mind of the perceiver, it is allowed to resonate within the silences and spaces, and connect with the readers, or viewers, own peculiar personal circumstance, history, or projected self. It becomes 'Transcendent', as it lifts the mind and soul into a place hitherto unknown.

I may not always succeed in the process, and combinatorial artistic endeavors may not always reach a preconceived mark, if indeed they must, but to answer the question "What are poets for?"...For me, if indeed they need be for anything, and i am not entirely sure they do, as art is its own reward, they are mediums of transcendent change, and the poem is a stream that carries the reader from multiple directions into the timeless sea of eternal possibility, from where all things become possible that were once improbable.

© Richard Michael Parker 2009