>===== Original Message From moq_discuss@moq.org =====
>
Gav,
Milan Kundera explores these ideas in his books.
Here is part of his book The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The idea of eternal return is a mysterious one, and Nietzsche has often
perplexed other philosophers with it: to think everything occurs as we once
experienced it, and that the recurrence itself recurs ad infinitum! What does
this mad myth signify?
Putting it negatively, the myth of eternal return states that a life which
disappears once and for all, which does not return, is like a shadow, without
weight, dead in advance, and whether it was horrible, beautiful, or sublime,
its horror, sublimity, and beauty mean nothing.
....... If every second of our lives recurs an infinite number of times, we
are mailed to eternity as Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross. It is a
terifying prospect. In the world of eternal return the weight of unbearable
respnsiblity lies heavy on every move we make. That is why Nietzsche called
the idea of eternal return the heaviest of burdens. If eternal return is th
heaviest of burdens, then our lives can stand out against it in all their
splendid lightness. But is heaviness truly deplorable and lightness splendid?
The heaviest of burdens crushes us, we sink beneath it, it pins us to the
ground. But in the love of poetry of every age, the women longs to be weighed
down by the man's body. The heaviest of burdens is therefore simultaneously
tan image of life's most intense fulfillment. The heavier the burden, the
closer our lives come to the earth, the more real and truthful they become.
ConConversely the absolute absence of burden causes man to be lighter then
air, to soar into the heights, take leave of the earth and his earthly being,
and become only half real, his movements as free as they are insignificant.
What then shall we choose? Weight or lightness?
hey john, david and all,
>
>the sufi maxim: "to be in the world but not of it" captures the mystic
>stance well i think. as does don juan's (from castaneda) notion of
>'controlled folly' - that the world is arbitrary and essentially unreal
>renders one's action in a sense futile - a folly - but nevertheless one
>continues to act and act morally in this world regardless.
>perhaps this mystic understanding can be seen as a lightness of being - a
>freedom from the unnecessary stress and pressures of the world. but also
>there seems to be not a compulsion - that is the wrong word - more a simple
>desire to help others reach a similar level of intelligence/awareness.
>simply because it is fun - good- to do so?
>
>can't say that is exactly how i operate, though i do live 'lighter' than
>most. howveer the fire in my belly is still fueled by the ignorance and
>unnecessary pain in the world - and in my own life.
>i still can't help feeling that my own happiness - no matter how
>'enlightened i may or may not become - is inextricably connected with that
>of others.
>
>perhaps it is just as simple as coming to terms with our short stay in the
>static realm and doing what we see as best with it. we can bliss out with
>drugs, meditation, fasting whatever...we can leave the nonsense and struggle
>and pain far behind, but we will leave it behind one day anyway. maybe it is
>about accepting the contingency and absurdity of this translucent world and
>playing with it while it is here. play, fun, happiness - what life is about
>when you are a kid - these are things that only grow when they are
>shared......maybe that is what i am on about....who knows?
>
>all the best
>gav
>
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