Some monk or other (and I realise I'm not good at giving specific credit to the various sources I refer to) replied, on being asked what he would do if he was going to die tomorrow:
"I would still plant this apple tree".
Which was very forward thinking of him. Unless "he" was a nun. In which case it was very forward thinking of her. Anyway, I'm getting away from the point. Already.
And the point is that I suspect I'm still quite a long way from having that much perspective and wisdom in the presence of my imminent end. Or even if I was able to give the APPEARANCE of having such presence of mind I suspect I would be shaking inside at the same time.
Which I imagine is not abnormal.
But, you know, being honest about my totally understandable weakness in the face of death, isn't the same as saying I want to remain in subservience to that weakness.
I would like to be that monk. I would like to have a calmness and serenity when I approach the drop at that terminal Niagara Falls in my little coracle. I would like to enjoy finishing off my Sudoko puzzle as the water got a bit rougher, and noisier, and sprayier.
And that's why I talk about death quite a bit. Not because I'm morbid or obsessed. Particularly. It's simply that I like to practise the things that I want to get better at. So that maybe, one day, Fee can come third.
The line "We've got tonight, no more tomorrow"is from my unreleased song When The World Blows Up.
You will find most of my released songs at Fee Comes Fourth.
Showing posts with label Life Is Good. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life Is Good. Show all posts
Sunday, 9 March 2014
Sunday, 26 January 2014
"Life Is Good"
So, this morning I was playing a song I'd written sometime last year called Life Is Good. And a few minutes later I rang our Daughter-in-Law in waiting (DIL for short) who was choosing the line for todays blog. And she chose the title line of that very song. Serendipity!
The irony is that the next Fee Comes Fourth song (February 4th) is called Life Is Difficult. And irony upon irony, The DIL, inspired that one too! (Chuckle, chuckle). When she came down to stay for christmas she brought with her a book called The Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck which I had read back in the day. And I was reminded of it's opening line, which is:
"Life is difficult".
And there we have it. The paradox. And who doesn't love a good paradox. I know I do. Life IS difficult. And the acceptance of that fact, which was largely the theme of Scott Peck's book, is actually one of the major steps we need to make in order to survive and hopefully thrive in our lives.
But that doesn't over ride the fact that:
"Life is good".
I doubt many people who are more than a few years into existence on planet earth would disagree with the "life is difficult" statement. Because each day contains many problems to which we have to find solutions. And we either embrace that "difficulty" or we are overcome by it.
But where is the good? Even if we put aside our subjective experience, the memories of painful times, and look at the Universe from an objective point of view, it would be easy to describe existence in very "un-good" terminology. The wider universe looks cold and lifeless. And our world, though full of life, is full of life which manages to exist by hunting, consuming, and causing pain to other life. What is good about any of that?
Perhaps it is what we choose to see. Like on family holidays. We demand sunshine, because we deserve it. After all we live in THE WEST OF SCOTLAND. GIVE ME SUN! I NEED SUN! But then, it rains. Again.
And there we have the "difficult" bit. Ok, not major difficult, but still.
Good is usually very personal though.
Fortunately we've been able to bring our very own Good Detector with us for the last couple of, sometimes rainy, summer holidays. Because our eldest son Daniel, did a clever thing, and found himself a lovely girl who will officially become part of our family in April. She's our very first daughter, with a first class honours degree in "Silver Linings and Finding the Goodness in Life". Welcome to the family Susanna. Life is good.
The line "Life is Good" is from my song of the same name (unreleased) and was chosen by Susanna Angus.
Fee Comes Fourth
The irony is that the next Fee Comes Fourth song (February 4th) is called Life Is Difficult. And irony upon irony, The DIL, inspired that one too! (Chuckle, chuckle). When she came down to stay for christmas she brought with her a book called The Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck which I had read back in the day. And I was reminded of it's opening line, which is:
"Life is difficult".
And there we have it. The paradox. And who doesn't love a good paradox. I know I do. Life IS difficult. And the acceptance of that fact, which was largely the theme of Scott Peck's book, is actually one of the major steps we need to make in order to survive and hopefully thrive in our lives.
But that doesn't over ride the fact that:
"Life is good".
I doubt many people who are more than a few years into existence on planet earth would disagree with the "life is difficult" statement. Because each day contains many problems to which we have to find solutions. And we either embrace that "difficulty" or we are overcome by it.
But where is the good? Even if we put aside our subjective experience, the memories of painful times, and look at the Universe from an objective point of view, it would be easy to describe existence in very "un-good" terminology. The wider universe looks cold and lifeless. And our world, though full of life, is full of life which manages to exist by hunting, consuming, and causing pain to other life. What is good about any of that?
Perhaps it is what we choose to see. Like on family holidays. We demand sunshine, because we deserve it. After all we live in THE WEST OF SCOTLAND. GIVE ME SUN! I NEED SUN! But then, it rains. Again.
And there we have the "difficult" bit. Ok, not major difficult, but still.
Good is usually very personal though.
Fortunately we've been able to bring our very own Good Detector with us for the last couple of, sometimes rainy, summer holidays. Because our eldest son Daniel, did a clever thing, and found himself a lovely girl who will officially become part of our family in April. She's our very first daughter, with a first class honours degree in "Silver Linings and Finding the Goodness in Life". Welcome to the family Susanna. Life is good.
The line "Life is Good" is from my song of the same name (unreleased) and was chosen by Susanna Angus.
Fee Comes Fourth
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