I had one of those life-reflecting ahhhh moments this morning driving to school. In the early morning light a bicycle messenger darted past my Jeep on his fixed-gear and disappeared up the road. It sparked a memory in me; at one time I would have been very happy working as a bicycle messenger, deftly negotiating the streets of a big city, cheating both the laws of physics and traffic. I came to define that romantic dream by using the oft-used Buddhist concept of "being in the world, but not of it". In other words, I exist within the world of traffic, cars, congestion, but I operate on a totally separate plane, one of grace, speed, and finesse.
This brief "ahhhh moment" led to others. During another moment in my life I fell in love with Parkour, also known as Free Running, e.g. the opening scene of Casino Royale; again, being of the world but not necessarily in it.
Now here I stand, ready to begin work as a street paramedic, and I'm coming to the realization that it's nothing more than an extension of the original concept, that of living and working within the cityscape with all of the muck and dirt, but existing on a separate plane. The thought of swooping in to the side of a critical patient, working some medical magic, stealing death, and then moving on again is very enticing. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this oddity that has seemingly connected various pieces of my life together along a common thread.
Of course all of it is meaningless, and nothing more than a misty dream-like desire. I realize that, but I just found the commonalities very interesting.
2 comments:
A lovely stream of thought... What is it that connects the threads of our life? Sometimes it is hard to know.
Being in the world but not of it, I believe, is actually a Christian concept. According to my google search it comes from John 17.
Best wishes in your travels, Zen Traveler.
These flashes of insight are such precious wonderful things, aren't they.
It's an interesting idea you bring up. I too have echoes of this idea of living free of the "normal" confines of my life, though I might, perhaps have different routes in mind. I've long considered pursuing ordination of some type (as in nun) - ever since I was a kid, as a matter of fact. LOL - never mentioned that out loud before. I shall have to think about this - why I think these ways. It's a good opportunity for mindfulness - thank you.
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