Time, time, time, is on my side, yes it is...

The other day I was sent this link summerizing the Gita, a biblicesque story of a man strugling between moral virtues and ethical obligations to family. Many of the later chapters deal with spirituality and one's relationship with god, something covered in an earlier post. The first several chapters however deal with how to be happy. I will not attempt to summerize a summery but I did take away the following message: live as though you will live forever.

Given an infinite existance suddenly the daily existance losses it's importance (Chapter 1, 2 , 5 & 6). Likewise, it becomes easier to live selflesslly for others when tomorrow means nothing (Chapters 3 & 4).

Compare that to the message in a song that I heard last night while driving back from the bowling ally:

"he said someday I hope you get the chance
to live like you were dying"

And that famous line from Dead Poet's Society, carpe diem, "Sieze the Day". This message is blazed on every billboard, a theme in television shows, movies, and books. Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today!!!

The difference between the two messages is striking; one preaches self-lessness while the other worships the experiance of self. This is a topic of discussion that I would like to continue on at a later point. For now, the similarities are what interest me. Both cultures advocate a divorce from the constraints of time on the order of magnitude of human existance. I sense another reference to Ishmael, but I will resist.

This appears to be the case when I am happiest. Working on a project with no concept of time passing, being "in the zone" while playing a sport, hanging out with friends and being shocked that it is suddenly 3:00 am, and a miriad of other times when I can forget about my life and just be. What about when I am unhappy though?

I have found that the times in which I am depressed I do seem to percieve time differently. I become fixated on the past and future, essentially mistakes and future possible mistakes. I find it difficult to concentrate and get into my work. Everything, in fact, is difficult to get into.

It is interesting too to look at the number of societal ills that are associated with excapeing time. Drug and alcohol use comes to mind first. Alcohol impares the inhibiatory neurons in the brain freeing one to act without constraint in the present (funny comming from someone who has never gotten drunk...). Drugs too, I bet, alow one to enjoy the presant despite whatever may currently be happening. The remaining sins that I can think of regard the indulgance of primal urges. The seven sins are basically eatting, sleeping, making love with someone, making love with material objects (greed), making love with one's self (pride), and making love with the idea that you were making love with whatever someone else is making love with (envy). No, I wasn't channeling Freud there. I just think it is interesting that most of the sins are lusting over something. Indulging in lust is a very in the moment kind of thing... if you know what I mean ;-)

So I agree, in basics, with the Gita. Why write about it? Letting go of time is scary. Many people, myself included, are familiar with carpe diem and believe that they couldn't possibly actually live that philosophy. What suprised me though is how scared I was of the teachings of the Gita.

My aikido teacher once said that for her, martial arts were a way up the "mountain". The mountain being essentially self-enlightenment. She said that there are many paths up the mountain and your job is to find the one that works for you. The Gita is a path up that mountain and one which I can see finishing at the top. And yet, I can't seem to even consider actually taking that path.

So what am I afraid of? In living as though I will live forever I would be giving up many things. If I did live forever that wouldn't be a problem. There is always tomorrow. But I know my life is finite and despite this I want desperately to experiance all there is. I want my life to be worth while. To take my eyes off of tomorrow, whatever the reason, is to loose sight of whatever grand plan I have to accomplish before its too late.

I wonder if this feeling is fundemental to human nature or if it is something society has whispered in our ear since birth. Can it be true that something so built into our culture could cause unhappyness? Perhaps a better question is, "Can we have our cake and eat it too?"