Is Your Flower Dead?

...or wilting?

The following video blog contains some of the written blog as well for those who prefer reading;

“There is nothing wrong with God’s creation. Mystery and Suffering only exist in the mind…” ~Ramana Maharshi

I was thinking of some potential dialog as a man asking a boy;

“Do you know how to make a flower?”

The boy says, “Sure, you plant a seed in the ground.”

The man responds, “Is that it?”

The boy adds, “Well, you have to plant it in the sun and make sure you water it.”

That seems to be the end of the analogy we are used to hearing. But let me add onto it;

The man asks, “Do you tell everyone you are responsible for making that flower?”

The boy says, “Yes, of course, if I worked hard to grow it, I will tell everyone.”

The man speaks softly and says, “Did I ask you if you grew it?”

The boy looks confused, “Wasn’t that the question?”

The man laughs, “No I asked you if you knew how to make a flower.”

The funny thing is we do this a lot in life where we exclude the spirit, creator, world or people around us in the things which go well in our life and the things which go wrong. We are also quick to blame something external if our flower died.

In reading Ramana’s quote, it spurs a ton of thought. “There is nothing wrong with God’s creation.” Well, even if you don’t believe someone made the earth, it’s hard to argue that it is wonderfully put together. If you have ever visited all the wonders of the world or gone for a simple walk in the bush, you’ll most likely understand the earth is very cool.

It’s difficult to agree with the entire quote even though I am always thankful when anything causes me to think. In the same way a quote I don’t necessarily agree with can spur thought, I have come to understand I can view the world as being dynamically put together. Mystery may only be in the mind for all I know, maybe the answers are waiting for us if we aren’t lazy enough to look. Suffering could be optional or it could be real. I think pain is real perhaps, suffering is optional like suggested.

The bigger idea behind the whole quote is the thought that we place the blame on things which have been here for years. In the conversation I constructed above, I was giving an analogy of how we forget to thank the external sources, but so often we place blame on them like the first part of Ramana’s quote.

“The world sucks” has become a very popular saying. I don’t believe the world sucks. Placing blame on the world or anyone in it may have assisted in our fall, but we were part of it even if by 1%.

I also don’t believe this attitude happens the other way around where we become truly thankful when good things happen. We celebrate with alcohol and festivities. We stand on podiums saying how awesome we are. We proclaim things like “I did it!” There is nothing wrong with being proud of yourself, but be sure like the flower, you didn’t get there all by yourself. You can at least thank the ground you walked on if you can’t muster up thanks for anyone else.

I also feel that like the flower, we are only responsible for the parts we can control. You don’t have to stuff a bunch of information inside a seed. It reminds me of when I have to fly somewhere. I remember Frank and I flying to NY from LA to work on a record there. I was complaining about how agitated I was and my legs were crowded. He looks at me and says, “I love to fly. I don’t have to do anything. The phones aren’t ringing and guess what? I don’t have to fly the plane either. Imagine if you had to stay awake and alert and were responsible for getting everyone safely across the country. You have no responsibility here.”

I think I understand what Ramana was saying in his quote although I think it’s multi-tiered. We can relieve ourselves of the responsibility, give credit where it is due, we can quit blaming everyone and everything around us and we can view our own suffering as optional.

I do love things that cause me to think deeply. I think this particular one helps me to let go of the control a bit and enjoy the information like what is inside the seed that I was not responsible for.

I believe if we slot ourselves into the world as opposed to forcing it into a shape which isn’t in alignment; we can not only breathe better, but actually begin to enjoy life instead of hating it so much.

Hope you are loving life and if you don’t, does something seem out of your control? Can you let go of it?

If your flower has died, was it your flower to begin with? Is it possible the life of that flower is only so long? Are there any seeds in it you can replant? Can you make art from the dead parts?

Pressing leaves in a book,

Karen :)

“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” ~Henry Ellis