Be. Alive. Now

By: Erik Rittenberry

“The world is full of magic things,

patiently waiting for our senses

to grow sharper.”

— W.B. Yeats

We live in a shallow society which is why so many people are so petty and spiritually depleted.

Complainers, ranters, "success" hounds, mall shoppers, status seekers, political junkies, media consumers, outrage sniffers, money lovers, "hustle and grind" gurus -- Christ, the circus of the modern world is endless.

Very few people understand what it means to simply BE. To be aware. To be madly alive with the brief time given to them. Fear is born out of continuously kneeling at the altar of security. Freedom is sacrificed for comfort which is why so many of us in contemporary society become mere cogs in the machinery of life.

Is there any wonder why more and more people today are suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression?

Our inherent genius and curiosity seemed to be etched out of many of us at a very early age. And we seem to be proud of it. Our minds are tethered to our conditioning and belief systems and we become chained to the manufactured ideals of culture.

We become like the majority who find their identities in careers and possessions and status—the dominant values of the modern world. We are people who seem to be solely concerned with “having” and “appearing” a certain way to appease society. It’s an empty mode of existence. 

American physician and psychotherapist, Dr. Alexander Lowen, observed that “few people in our culture have the courage to be themselves. Most people adopt roles, play games, wear masks, or put up facades. They do not believe that their genuine self is acceptable.”

Lowen believed this mode of being was inevitable in a technological culture where people’s “values are sacrificed for money and power.” When one abandons authenticity, Lowen points out, they become “tormented by the contradiction between the inner reality and the outer facade.”

This is where we’re at.

But friends let me tell you, on your deathbed, the blues skies and the birds and the wind in the trees will be immensely more significant than your retirement account.

Be. Alive. Now. As the great writer, Llewelyn Powys once said, “We should grow less involved in society and more deeply involved in existence.”

To live in the mode of “BEING” instead of the fruitless manner of “HAVING” is to be active, not in the mindless busy sense, but inner activity, to give expression to one’s own deep-seated yearnings and talents. To renew yourself daily, to grow, to learn, to be in forever search of the sublime.  

Do dangerous things. Uncivilize a bit. Explore the natural world. Forget about your reputation. Put your bare feet on the earth. Be astonished. Create something.

It was the great Jiddu Krishnamurti who once reminded us:

"It is very important to go out alone, to sit under a tree—not with a book, not with a companion, but by yourself—and observe the falling of a leaf, hear the lapping of the water, the fishermen’s song, watch the flight of a bird, and of your own thoughts as they chase each other across the space of your mind. If you are able to be alone and watch these things, then you will discover extraordinary riches which no government can tax, no human agency can corrupt, and which can never be destroyed."

Thanks so much for reading. You can find me around the internet at the following:

Medium: https://medium.com/@erikrittenberry

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