…Continued from The Fisherman – I : Consumption
The fisherman I met in Kemujan led a simple life. He caught enough fish for the day to feed his family. Had creature comforts such as biscuits occasionally, and had loads of free time. Similar to that fable about the American businessman and Mexican fisherman (“Buy more boats! Start a business! Get Rich!”. “Why?”. “So you can relax on the beach”. “And what do you think I’m doing now…”), René had shown him the life he could have by earning more and buying televisions and trips and what not. And the fisherman just was not interested. “I’m content.” was his simple yet potent retort.
Which brought me to the second thread of thoughts…
Thread Two: Creation
Most of my friends and I are the ‘Type-A’ category. Never quite content with status quo, we march forward. We accomplish. We create. We consume. We move. We shake.
And then, there are people I had always regarded as the ‘Lazy’ ones. The ones that move less. Don’t do much. The ‘laggards’… (such judgemental words that clatter around my mind)
However, the ‘lazy’ ones have something the type-As do not, and probably never will. A sense of contentedness.
…
All oysters do not create pearls. Only the ones that get agitated by an irritant such as a grain of sand do. The pearl-like substance is secreted to coat the irritant, so that the Oyster can return to its un-agitated state.
Do you see the analogy here? Creation comes from discontent. The contented person does not create. The bigger the discontent, the bigger the creation. Of course we judge some creation as good (skyscrapers, technology), and some as bad (bombs, wars). But in a sense they are all deviations from status quo. In that same sense creation and destruction are the same. Deviations from the status quo. Allow me to coin the term ‘Des-Creation'(Destruction & Creation). The person who creates and the person who destroys are basically following the same inner urges. They have just different routes that they channel it through. Of course our morals judge some differently than others.
Interesting isn’t it? Philosophers, thinkers, artists, musicians. All driven by discontent. In a sense Nirvana is not different from Stillness. Death. When one is fully content. Then you’re content whether you live or die.
The consumer previously talked about, that sits at home watching his TV and sipping on his coke. He is also moving away from discontent. I guess the only difference between des-creation and consumption is the direction of flow.
The des-creator uses his creative energies to create a different state of being for something external. His energies flow outward. The consumer takes in energies to alter his state. In the time their energies are flowing, they are both not focusing on their inner discontent.
Is one better than the other? For me, there is a difference in feel. The des-creation process leaves me with a feeling of accomplishment The consumption process, with a feeling of emptiness and guilt. I have internalized that consumption is wasteful. Wasting my time on this planet. While des-creation, somehow, is a useful way to spend time.
What happens when we get fully content. Do we die? Buddha calls in Nirvana. The end of life. If you are fully content. There is no more desire. There is no desire to do anything. There is no desire to live. Then are you dead? Is enlightenment the same as death?
So if our goal is to get to a state of contentedness, of Nirvana, then is our goal to die? Are Egg McMuffins in Jakarta tastier than those in Stockholm? All important questions. Who’s got answers?
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