Wednesday, July 22, 2009

More Questions for Meditation...Or Not...


You can't have everything. Where would you put it?
Steven Wright

...ever get an error message in your sleep....like, cannot connect to the unconscious right now...cannot display tonight’s dream?

...what exactly is the difference between a time honored notion and and a cliché?

...ever notice that an all or nothing attitude almost invariably leaves you with nothing?

Nobody stopped thinking about those psychedelic experiences. Once you’ve been to some of those places, you think, “How can I get back there again but make it a little easier on myself?”
Jerry Garcia

...ever think that, at times, confusion might be the clearest perspective?

...ever have one of those days when you feel like you have every reason to feel good...but you don’t...and that makes it worse?

...could it be that what’s really wrong with you might simply be thinking that something’s wrong with you?

Does not everything depend on our interpretation of the silence around us?
Lawrence Durrell


Contest Rules: readers who answer all of the above questions correctly* win: nothing...(my Zen Buddhist friends say it’s excellent)...


*note: there are no correct or incorrect answers to these questions...

12 comments:

Karin Bartimole said...

yes, yes, yes, to all the above, other than the difference between a cliché vs time honored notion, which probably evolves into none, but since there is no correct answer, it doesn't really matter anyway. Can you now answer Why to each?
I am off to revel in my nothingness winnings :)

Eco Yogini said...

haha. I like this contest!
Sometimes I meet people or come into contact with people who even through the internet portray anxiety, unhappiness and general distress. This happened last night, and I realized just reading this researcher's message I wanted to shake him- 'why are you so caught up???'
sigh.
all or nothing... greys are so much better. :)

Vanessa said...

Crap! You mean I gotta think today. There goes all my plans for mindlessly spacing out!

DESPERADO said...

intereseting and really provoking questions.
True that they don't have any answers.

Unknown said...

There is this Zen story about three blind men encounter with an elephant.
First touched the trunk and concluded the elephant is like a rubbery hose.
The second touched a leg and said the elephant was something like a tree trunk.
And the third one said you are all idiots the elephant is like a swishing rope.
He,he,he...
The right answer to the question "what is an elephant?" is "Here have a elephant!"
Other than that all answers are subjective.
That goes for all answers no matter what your "elephant" is:)

skyewriter said...

"ever think that, at times, confusion might be the clearest perspective?"

I am so screwed.

"...ever have one of those days when you feel like you have every reason to feel good...but you don’t...and that makes it worse?"

You brought memories of Catholic guilt during my formative years back in one big rush with that one.

“How can I get back there again but make it a little easier on myself?”

Grace Slick had the right idea trying to dose Tricky Dick's Tea on a visit to the White House. More politicians need the psychedelic perspective that causes the clarity of confusion and the complication of trying to figure out why Evian is naive spelled backwards...

Patricia said...

If you're confused then you probably understand the situation.

RB said...

Reminds me of something I heard at the New Music Seminar [http://newmusicseminar.biz/nyc.php] yesterday: "If you know you're f*cked, you're not. If you think you're not f*cked, you are."

Melinda said...

Another good batch of 'Dr. Jay-isms'

In particular, I agree with the comment about confusion--sometimes you can only see the clear solution to a problem while you are in the midst of chaos.

And on this: "could it be that what’s really wrong with you might simply be thinking that something’s wrong with you?" this actually reminds me of a relative I am dealing with right now--she is so convinced that her life is a mess that it's becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. But, I have learned a few things by now--and one of them is that it's hard enough to beat my own head against the wall without trying to help another person beat theirs!

Take care, Jay--and thanks for the smiles today (as usual).

I'm glad you took my 'minion' thread to heart! :-). I feel entertained now.

Melinda

earthtoholly said...

Love Steven Wright, drjay. I saw him recently, on Letterman I think, and he was just as deadpan and funny as ever.

...ever have one of those days when you feel like you have every reason to feel good... Uh, yes and quite often...spending precious time waiting for the next monkey wrench, other shoe to drop, etc., instead of livin' in the moment. Ugh.

Wish Jerry had figured that one out before he left us...

Anonymous said...

You never come down from new experiences. Not psychedelic ones, not trauma, not joy. You brain simply adjusts to this new level of consciousness, and you normalize the world around this newly acquired experience.

human being said...

- everywhere
- yes... everything needs a rest
- the former is 3D... the latter 2D
- true
- when we get back, we should forget we've been there before...
- yup... confusion provides the best choices..
- no... on such days the first thing i do is to find the reason...
- it is... always!
- unfortunately yes! that's why we should talk!



'nothing' is great! i accept it willingly... as my home is already a mess!

thanks for this
loved it... a lot!
so healing!