People who aren’t even alive cling to “life” the most.
They say nothing is more sacred than human life,
but look what they’re doing with it.
They call you a “consumer” because you consume
and because you’re being consumed.
They stress that you are the subject of consumption,
but to be honest, it matters most that you be the object of it.
Let me ask you: How do you know you’re really alive?
In your imagination take a walk through your life,
through all the rooms, your job, friends, family …
walk through your head, heart, guts.
What do you notice? What do you feel?
Would you change anything?
So, how do you know you’re really alive?
Let’s say you find out you only have six more months to live.
You’re really alive if you wouldn’t change anything.
—
I observe the fear of the pandemic,
I observe the outrage over the prices rising,
I watch people complaining about the clownish politicians
faking how much they care for the environment.
Worrying doesn’t help.
Everything is going to hell, but everything is ok.
Why would I release my sacred emotions into this tiny shiny frame
that surrounds me and enwraps my gaze
and stops me from seeing both the expanse out there and in here.
That’s where truth is, that’s where freedom is,
not in this flea circus.
Are you really afraid of lockdowns?
Are you afraid of prison bars?
The one who is free cannot be shackled.
For such a person, there’s freedom even behind bars.
Why are you putting your consciousness in this glittering box?
Solve this first, then you will be able,
fully alive,
to cope with the coercion of the guardians of “life”.
You will not cling to anything.
You have nothing to lose.
As long as you are a slave to the chain of your own decisions,
you are powerless.
As long as you are a slave to unrest and unquenchable desires.
You are a slave to your first decisions
and the chain of consequences that followed.
It’s that first cigarette,
that first glass,
that first kiss,
that first slap,
that first note,
that toy,
that book,
that job,
that broken promise …
and especially all that guilt that robs you of power.
—
Now you are where you are.
You are looking for answers on this screen.
Well, they’re not there.
You want this screen to tell you what’s your purpose.
There is no purpose.
The universe exists for far greater magic than purpose.
Would you like to understand what is really going on?
Are they really pulling your leg?
Are the elites just fulling around with you, drinking your blood?
Will they break your chains of “freedoms” that you’re so addicted to?
Without them, you’d go crazy.
Ah, come on, it’s not that bad. You’re just spoiled.
Do you really think the world owes you anything?
Do you think that you have too little
and that you need more for a decent life?
What a pity to deprive yourself of the luxuries of every moment
just because the next one might bring something more.
Or the next … again and again …
You’re escaping to tomorrow, to yesterday,
but happiness is here and now.
You are missing out on the adventure of a lifetime,
a glorious flight through eternity
because you resent some promise-breaker,
freedom-breaker,
heart-breaker.
Why are you angry at the government?
Are you really so naive as to expect anything better from them?
Why are you so bitter and arrogant?
Why do you imprison yourself with resentment and despair?
What a pity to waste your life like that.
You can caress a leaf, inhale a cloud,
take in a poem, and share your happiness with someone.
You can always click the button and change the channel.
Or, better yet, turn off the screen.
—
In Slovenian, we have a saying: “Take in life with a full spoon.”
Don’t imitate the life out there that others live.
Don’t take it in with the spoon from the latest commercial.
What if you take it with your both palms
as you would water from a spring?
Take in exactly that life that stands in front of your nose,
don’t stare at it through the screen.
Get up, go to the edge of the forest and sit under a tree.
Stay still for an hour or two.
You have never seen such a fantastic movie!
Or do you prefer series?
Well, then come to the same tree every day for an hour.
Just sit back and watch – oh, how much is going on
inside you and outside too!
If you do it ten times,
you will be drawn to come back to see
how that snail progresses high on a branch,
that bird weaving her nest,
that anthill growing at the roots,
that bud opening …
When you realize happiness is so easily available
and how little you need for it,
when you notice how miserable the prescribed “life” is,
then you will let go of that tension in your chest,
relax
and exhale.
You will wait.
And the breath will happen
on its own.
Then you will exhale.
Pause.
And inhale again.
By itself.
That’s how real life flows:
by itself.
No coercion, no fight.
Your heartbeat is calm in your chest.
You’re listening to it.
You breathe.
Your heart is at peace.
Happiness!
—
Then you remember the pandemic,
the measures, vaccinations, testing …
and all those who think differently than you.
You argue with them in your own head
and rush to bombard them on social media.
It is infinitely important for you to be right
and to get others to agree with you.
You insult the fools who think differently.
It is a special kind of pleasure to identify with a story
in a book, a theatre, a movie —
and in real life.
But jumping into the circus arena
as soon as you hear the whip is simply too much.
Let the clowns and acrobats play their stunts,
you don’t have to hang out with them in the arena.
There is so much of the marvellous life out there.
Why would you stay in the circus waving a flag
and shouting out the names of your favorite star in this masquerade?
You can always exclude your heart and your guts from this circus.
You can live an empowering life,
modest and happy.
You can live in community with others,
attuned to each moment.
There will be a bit of the day, a bit of the night,
a bit of warmth, a bit of cold,
some angels around you and some devils.
That’s how the mighty cosmic game goes.
All by itself.
You’re standing in the ocean of magic,
but you’re obsessed with catching droplets of excitement
with the eye that’s not even your own —
the eye of the camera.
You are obsessed with these thrills.
You record them to revisit them later
in periods when they’re not there.
You will bring them to the attention of others as proof
that they really happened.
You construct your life story from a thousand thrills.
Meanwhile, millions of silent hours flow by unnoticed.
Practically all your life offers you the opportunity
to meet yourself,
build friendships with yourself,
enjoy your own inner beauty.
And the silent beauty of the world.
Why are you limiting yourself to a few moments of noise?
You need memories.
But memories should be carved out as monuments,
as milestones on your journey of life.
They should be stored carefully and conscientiously
in the very special archive that gets unlocked by a heart’s warmth.
Do not miss out on what’s offered to you
in moments of apparent emptiness.
That’s when you’re given a chance to realize
you’re swimming in peace all the time,
but you prefer to cling to cannons and tanks
and then grumble because they don’t afford you peace.
Duško Radović said it so nicely:
“Today will be the happiest day in someone’s life.
If we knew whose life, we could tell them,
so it wouldn’t be the same with them as it was with us:
that we had no clue.“
This is beautiful.
Thank you so much.
Thank you, Henriette, this means a lot.
It’s great to hear back from an appreciative reader. <3