There was once a family who, taken as a whole, 
was an unruly bunch.  
One of them was particularly 
disturbed by their condition, 
and one day read that they could be different 
if someone with his attitude was in charge.  
He then endeavored to take control of the brood,
but with less than full success.  
Some times he would take center stage, 
and get everyone else’s attention, 
and for a moment everything would settle down,  
and be like he thought it should be, 
but most of the time it was still near chaos --  
nothing but pointless moving about,
and endless, meaningless chatter.  
Everyone outside the family 
took its life to be quite normal, 
in that their own was similar, 
but no matter how natural and ordinary 
the family’s life was accepted to be by everyone else,  
that one member was never satisfied with 
its collective life,
(even though his view failed to ever prevail therewith).
 
Note: Although history records him under sundry names, 
this one figure is always the source of 
all of man’s metaphysical interests, 
and his prying around in his consciousness.
Note II:  You know you are in the correct struggle when the automatic opposition to your aim 
is universal, relentless and overwhelming, 
and there are no earthly signs to indicate 
a good chance of success.
Note III:  If this figure is truly a natural member of 
your natural family 
then any questions of opposition, encouragement, 
or odds against success are entirely irrelevant;  
you do what you must do;
you do what “being alive” leaves you no choice but to do.

Doing it and  trying to succeed at doing it 
is the only thing you can do to 
make your life acceptable to you.
(Hey, it could be worse; you could have been born
with an irrepressible desire to be an accountant.)
 
 
 
 
 

Question-Asked-A-Candidate:  
”Why does anyone want to be President?” 
Only two possible reasons: 
you either want to show that 
you are stronger than everyone else, 
or that you are smarter than everyone else.  
Now apply this to the,  
“I KNOW WHAT’S BEST AND I WANNA BE IN CHARGE” member of your mental family, and ponder its motivation in wanting to make the other thoughts/family members submit to its hand.

Many say they want to MAKE-THE-JOURNEY,
but few ever ask themselves --  Why? --
specifically --  Why?  --
the answer to which is the completion OF the journey.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sitting atop his horse, as he surveyed the 
animalistic sight spread out before him, 
a cowboy mused:
”No one is IN CHARGE of a herd;
I know that I seem to be,
but the weather is as much so as me;
thunder can move the herd much faster than I can, 
and the aroma of fresh grass from a distant field can keep them moving far past my most vigorous exhortations.

I am not in charge of this herd --  that is an illusion,
and one which can only be maintained via my own 
self indulgence in pretending so.

No one is IN CHARGE of a herd;
it is in charge of itself.
I realize that in rational, mental, mortal terms
this cannot be so --  but how else to explain it?
The herd undeniably seems to have a 
singular life of its own;
a collection of many different, individual cows -- yet,
-- seen as a whole,
the herd itself appears to have an existence indicative of 
a single, living creature,”
    and as he was deeply engrossed in 
    pondering this matter, 
    someone called his name, and he 
    immediately turned his head toward the sound,
    and instantly forgot about the whole affair.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ships plough the seas,
but do seas ever say to themselves:
”Agh!  I’ve been ploughed!” 

Thoughts plough your mind,
but do you ever use your mind’s capacity 
to say to yourself:
”I am being ploughed............ what else is new.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

When looking out of the windows in their house,
men’s view of the world outside 
is determined by the activity going on inside.

Most people live in a house, full of activity;
always busy  --  always noisy.

Most of the time, most of the activity going on inside
has no direct relevance to what is going on outside,
BUT --
most of the time, most of the people in the house
tell themselves that it does.

When it is cold outside --  they turn up the heat inside;
when tempers rise inside --  they see anger without.

It all fits!     
It all, by god --  fits perfectly!   --  Yep,
until you go outside yourself, 
and look back at the house.
 
 
 
 
 
 

To those who don't-know,
life is like a jigsaw puzzle that won’t go together right;
to those with THE UNDERSTANDING
life is not like anything except what it is.
 
 

Truism Update: 
“No man is an island  --   every man, a herd;
no man a cow  --  every man a collection of cows;
a collection of cows will decimate an island,
suggestion: de-collect yourself. 
 
 

The body has many nerves;
many cells; 
many feelings, and many hungers.
Question: If a single tree falls in a forest,
and too many are there to hear it --
how will the multitude ever come to 
any agreement as to the actual sound it made?!

It is not uncommon for those who 
do not yet KNOW,
to want to be alone;
those who do know --  have no choice.
 

There is only one way to get THE UNDERSTANDING,
and if you do not presently have it,
then whatever you are doing to get it,
                           must not be it --  huh?!
 
                                  JAN