A wisp of inspiration
December 2, 2020•433 words
A wisp of inspiration
It’s been a while since I last posted, but that’s how this goes. I write when I’m motivated or when I’m inspired-this is the latter of those times.
I watched a movie about a quirky high school kid who was paid to write a letter to a girl from a guy who was sweet but not that swift and/or deep. The question of belief in god came up and how the main character didn’t believe-blah blah blah. It occurred to me that the line between believing and not believing is so thin. I was reminded of a quote from the movie “The Doors” (one of my favorites) about believing in “a prolonged derangement of the senses to achieve the infinite” . This was profound to me at the time but more today than most. The shift in perception of something, which can happen so swiftly, can inspire and kill belief. I’m sure that it would be argued by the faithful that these are mere tests of faith and that a person should always carry their faith as a shield against these shifts in outlook. I don’t agree with that premise. I think the ability to shift into and out of belief allows a person to grow and evolve as an individual and if I come back to a place of faith-it will be a faith that is hard won and a genuine and organic place to be. Holding fast to a belief because it feels safe or because someone told you that you’re less if you don’t is abusive and really silly. In an age of pointless information and endless opinions, not exploring one’s options is a lost opportunity.
The movie I watched also reminded me how the idea of love being kind and patient and whatnot is hokum, it’s a nice idea and don’t get me wrong-it often times is. What love really is, is messy and selfish and hurtful at times; love is a human expression and therefore imperfect. It’s an expression of our higher selves that needs to nurtured in order to do it well. It’s like any expression we have-art, music, dance etc-it needs to be practiced and committed to in order to allow it to be an effortless expression. Some people have more of a talent for it than others, just like singing or drawing, and may frustrated others to see it come ‘so easily’. I’ve known for a while now that love is a choice, you choose who you love-sometimes unconsciously, but I think true love is a choice and choices are powerful.