I had an aunt in middle school. I'm not really sure how she became my aunty, but during that sensitive, pre-adolescent struggle she filled a deep void in my life. Aunty L. was my age and my grade but she provided the emotional reassurance and the intellectual camaraderie that I couldn't find anywhere else. After middle school we drifted away on our separate paths to different schools and different lives. Occasionally we randomly reconnect and although our lives are totally separated, it's like our minds have been developing identically over the years. We both see the patterns, the webs of society and nature, the consequences of knowledge and the impact of human life and consciousness. When we speak together it's a rush of excitement; the synapses in my brain/sponge put on a fireworks show.
I saw her tonight. Had a nice long walk in the pouring rain on the streets where she grew up. We caught up on the state of our lives, the frustrations, the anxiety. She gave me some advice that i'd like to put in writing so that i'll be more likely to follow it:
1. Set aside time to sit by yourself. Call it meditation, reflection, what you will. Empty your mind or/and let your thoughts bounce around and tangle. Be o.k. with existing. Too often we (individuals) numb ourselves with television, consumerism, religion, etc. We forget to ask questions and to think for ourselves. We're ignoring our consciousness, the very thing that makes us human.
2. Unplug. Everything you see on a screen has been filtered; it's disconnected from nature, disconnected from the source, pre-packaged and spoon-fed to our eyes. Technology is lovely and amazing but all of our social trends and ideas began in books and poems, before the internet was even conceived. In order to really understand the context of our existence we need a healthy balance between nature, literature, and technology.
Too tired to write more on this now. I'm pretty sure I got down the important stuff. Love you Aunty L!
