Thursday and the Tsunami
Howdy good friends,
The license plate on my car says "QUASAR". When asked, I always explain: "It's a mysterious, deep space object emitting massive amounts of energy." They are, in fact, super luminous galaxy cores whose light typically started traveling billions of years ago. Their emissions are across the entire spectrum of radiation. The crush of annihilation into a black hole spins out particles--death of matter, creation of energy. How super luminous? These are tsunamis of cosmic energy--charged particles moving in waves 99.9999999999999999999999 % the speed of light, just a smidgeon below warp speed. Without our cozy blanket of of magnetism and atmosphere we would all be cooked.
But, it's Thursday. I'm willing to bet you didn't wake up this morning thinking about galactic cores. Or that today--Thor's Day--is named after the Norse god of thunder, at least in English. In the Romance languages, today is named for Jupiter, the god of the sky and thunder. In Latin, today is Jovis Dies, Jupiter's Day. Spanish say "Jueves." French, "Juedi." Strangely, or not, depending on how you think the mind of man is collectively wired, Danish, Dutch, Slavic, the languages of India, Nepali, Thai, even some Meso-American languages have the god of the sky and thunder as this day of the week. Tezcatlipoca is the god who is best understood, according to the smart humans focusing on this heritage, as the embodiment of change through conflict. Thunder is most certainly conflict. The god with the giant hammer is certainly trying to change something. Every week.
This morning I was running and saw two birds harassing each other next to the trail. After I got home and did the homework, I identified them as Black-billed Magpies. Big, sporting a striking black and white outfit with a slight iridescence, these guys were really having a problem together. What could be the issue? Apparently these are among the smartest birds on the planet. I'm a bit of a bird freak. They are the only living descendants of dinosaurs. Couple that with the notion they can fly and we have surrounding us ancient animals with super powers. Why were these two having a battle on such a lovely morning?
From some reading recently are a couple stories that stitch this together. First, a monk asked his class, "What is the pitcher on the table?" One student began to speak about the pottery and its function. He was waved off. Another came to the front of the class and knocked the pitcher to the floor, shattering it completely. A smile. Class over. In another class, the teacher began to speak about the nature of all things and a bird began singing by the window. The monk went silent, waited till the bird finished his song and flew off. The monk smiled. Class over.
Conflict and change are the natural order of all things. From the searing radiation bathing the universe to the birds on the morning run on a Thursday, the nature of all things is temporal, temporary, push and pull. Life is defined by our response to this reality, and, if I can express this with even more focus--there is a duality to beauty. A thing--the sunset, a painting on the wall, a favorite song is a beautiful thing that comes and goes. A feeling--the sight of your child, a kiss, the endorphin rush of a hard run, is a thing of beauty that is profound and fleeting. But this duality is an illusion. Both of these, the outside experience and the inner emotion are within your head. Shakespeare said, "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
Change, the destruction of things, the sun sinking away, the passing bird song... is the nature of every day. Our defining of this day is how we roll with these infinite inputs. Loss. Yep. Conflict. Always. Music, as much as possible. Every Thor's Day, I consider the smiting hammer. My license plate is the cosmic surf reminder. Between the swells, I try to make beautiful things that will outlast me and share them as much as possible. "Keep on Growing," sang Trey Anastasio and The Tedeschi Trucks Band this past Saturday night at the Lockn' Music Festival. Go look that up if you are a Clapton or Duane Allman fan. Most importantly, see the broken pitcher as the nature of all things. But, listen to the singing bird.
Hugs help too, don't forget. Hugs are both inner and outer beauty.
