Guido

Recently I read a story about a mother with a handicapped child. She developed a kind of language to communicate with her mute child by tapping rhythmically on a glass. The child answered accordingly. After the child had died, the mother took on a job in a space lab. There, after hours, she managed to send a message into space by tapping on a glass. Only a few days later, a glass tapping sound answering hers was recorded on a machine. She was stunned, as she knew how long it takes for the sounds to travel.

This is fiction, of course. Still, I wonder, what might be going on in the universe somewhere else. Is there a “mirror planet” where people live, similar to us ? but are not in need of any religion, any meditation, any zen? I would really like to travel to space when it is made affordable (and more comfortable), see colonies of our mankind arising on different planets and meet other living beings from other sphere’s. Contrary to Stephen Hawking, I get the feeling that they might not be unkind and threatening, but more developed and loving than we are. Born in this world, immediately we become part of a group (and its pressure). What would it mean if there is a kind of beings which gives way to totally developing one’s individuality? Something personal that exists in the phenomenal world like overlapping the empty nature of the self? It is what makes us unique in spite of our oneness.

Discussing rebirth (which I don’t believe in) and the end of life with a pal, I said I would want to live longer to watch all this ? or other things ? happening. It is really fascinating to see cloning and medical research working on a way to prolong our life. Don’t we really prefer life to death? My pal didn’t agree. If he had had the choice, he wouldn’t have lived, he said. The sole purpose of his further life (he is 53 now) could be to find a fulfilling love relationship. “Are you really sure you could love one person to the end”, I asked. This might even be more difficult when we imagine becoming older and older. “What about all the good moments in your life, with music, books and other people?”, I asked him. “Moments are not enough”, he sighed. This is exactly the difference to a zen way of living. Moments are what counts. And that’s why we neither have to fear a new set of morals coming with biogenetic developments, nor the added time on earth. As long as we don’t lose interest (awareness) of the moment and the things and persons that meet our way. Let’s hope our body doesn’t stand in the way. However, it should never be our spirit that gives up first.