And the Buddha said: "This most subtle awakening comes about through moment-to-moment attentiveness. By way of attentiveness, there is attunement to the ways in which things manifest, such as form and consciousness. The practitioner awakens to perfect wisdom by becoming blissfully free of dread and all the despair that goes with it..." (adapted from Prajnaparamita).
"I laid down and I tried to take my rest/ but my mind was wandering like some wild beast in the west " (Know you Rider, traditional)
Radio comes on at 5 AM, weather report reminds me that its 5 degrees with wind chill taking it down to -20. Cold, dark, the winter goes on and on, yet its Friday and time to face the day. The news about Blagojavich being ousted and Pat Quinn being installed as the new Governor of Illinois brings another jolt, now the waiting is over. The dire news of the economy, the anticipated budget rescission for the University will no longer be delayed into the vague future, we will know within 60 days. And then as I take the helm of the department I will be faced with some very hard decisions. Seeing what is happening at UIC is rather unnerving. Seminar series canceled and all the out of town speakers now uninvited; all hiring on freeze, so the 4 faculty who've left the department will not be replaced-- what will I face at SIUC? Similar draconian measures? It is what it is and worrying about it never changes anything. The radio drones on while I still hunker down under the covers-- the worst economic news since the Great Depression, new home sales at an all time low, prices of existing house down by 34%, 6.5 million unemployed people filing for relief, Starbucks, Walmart, Allstate all cutting thousands of jobs... yet there is good news. If you are an executive for one of the failing banks you will still be sure to get your multibillion dollar payoff, surely you are entitled. And of course you can still buy that new corporate jet, right Citibank? And the oil companies have new record windfall profits-- exceeding the entire budget of the NIH, NSF and DOE-- ah, yes, we have our priorities..... And the radio reports the terrible traffic snarl and problems with the commuter trains. Ugh. I get up, rather disconcerted. What a day to face.
"See here how everything, lead up to this day
It's just like any other day, that's ever been.... sun going to come up, and sun going down.
shine through my window and my friends they come around--- come around...."
somehow "Black Peter" really speaks to me today. Quiet my mind and listen to the good old Grateful Dead. Sure beats worrying about the cold, the budget rescission, selling the house.... The sun is shining and the day is a bright as a day can be. Think of this and be free.
1 comment:
Buck,
This morning, I went to the gym early. On the way there, I had the Grateful Dead channel playing and I too was thinking about the news issues of the day. The number of my friends who have lost their jobs recently is scary.
On the way back home to get a shower, I was thinking that I needed to hear Scarlet Begonias - something more lighthearted than your reference to Black Peter.
When I got back into the car after showering, so I could head to work, Scarlet Begonias was playing. I smiled all the way to work.
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