Monday, June 6, 2011

arriving at simplicity

arriving at simplicity is a very complicated process

i find that i have to discover, live, and then leave
all the complexities

both
you
and
i
can see that in my writing here



(i saw in the mist a little village of a few tiled roofs and joyfully admired it.)

there's a stream, and there's bamboo,
there's mulberry and hemp.
mist-hid, clouded hamlet,
a mild, tranquil place.
just a few tilled acres.
just a few tiled roofs.
how many lives would i
have to live, to get
that simple

22 comments:

Dan Gurney said...

The aging process of getting older (out past 60 years or so) can be largely about letting go. As we relinquish our jobs, our hobbies and sports and our many other complexities we hopefully are left the few concerns that really matter: connection to others and the earth, making beauty, being loving and truthful.

Pauline said...

such a paradox, simplicity and complexity, with either found in both

steven said...

dan i wonder what the world would be like if it were possible to bring the age you suggest here down to hmmmm let's see now . . . whatever you want!! without relinquishing the features you list. you see i believe that much of our work comes from . . . work. not just that which i bike to every day, but my commitments to family, friends, charities, the garden etc. for me, that work really matters as a feature and descriptor of the work my soul apparently has taken on. what do you think? steven

steven said...

pauline - it's easier to simplify the features of so much of our lives as we get older because i find myself much more aware of the complexities of simplicity! steven

Dan Gurney said...

Hi, steven, that's why I chose the word "jobs" and not work. I agree our work is central to our happiness. I meant to convey the idea that in retirement, hopefully, our need to make a living at a job can be let go so that we can concentrate more keenly on the work we must do in this lifetime.

That work can be all the things you suggested plus writing poetry, meditating, painting, being a great grandparent, making music, etc. all done without worrying about whether our work brings in a paycheck.

ellen abbott said...

in this modern life we are born into complexity. we have to learn to be simple instead of the other way around.

love the print.

Ruth said...

It's damn hard to make anything look simple. When I consider what goes into feeding and watering a tree, and the complex system of bringing the water up through it, and yet there it stands, still, alive. I do love the reversal that happens over time in us humans. We quiet, our experiences go down inside, they pile up like buried cities, and the become us. What comes out of our mouths is less quickly spoken, less wordy, less loud. The weight is in us, and we reveal it like a feather, a moth's wing, an iris sail, a birch leaf, a mosquito proboscis.

SG said...

Simplicity is one of the most difficult things to achieve. Being complex is a lot easier, though heavy on the mind. I feel, simplicity requires a clarity and wisdom that is neither common, nor easy.

OceanoAzul.Sonhos said...

The process of learning to appreciate the simple things in life, is acquired over the years. We are much more attentive and alert to simple details, but of huge magnitude.
Have a nice day steven.
oa.s

Jo said...

It can be so tempting to dwell in the complexities, can't it? It can make us feel so much grander than we might otherwise feel.

To strive for the simplicity of any situation carries with it the burden, paradoxically, of letting go of our ego. Difficult, indeed.

The print is exquisite!

Raul said...

beautiful blog..pls visit mine and be a follower.. thanks and God bless..

Vicki Lane said...

Lovely to visit such a beautiful quiet place in the blogosphere.

Friko said...

I wish I could have you for my teacher.
I feel that you have long arrived at a haven of calm, a simple place, like the one in your picture.

Am I wrong?

steven said...

thanks for adding to and opening out your earlier comment dan!! steven

steven said...

ellen - so we start from complexity and work to simplicity. hmmm. gotta think on that. steven

steven said...

ruth - your comment is the post i wish i could have written. steven

steven said...

SG hi! i like what you're saying. it's easier to make a lot of noise and say a lot of words than it is to be quiet and say a lot in a few words. steven

steven said...

oa.s, that's what i'm finding. it's nice. it's surprising to me. it's challenging everything i valued before. steven

steven said...

jo one of the measures of my worth has always connected to how smart i seem or think i am. i started letting go of that just after i turned fifty. it wasn't a conscious choice it, like so much else suddenly paled into insignificance. echoes of it still appear on this blog and i catch myself quickly and wrestle with the frustration of it for days afterwards. i have lots ot let go of and happily it is disappearing faster than i can wish it away. happily it is being replaced my new qualities that i value as the gifts they are. steven

steven said...

hello raul and thankyou. i will visit your blog. thankyou for the blessing. steven

steven said...

vicki thankyou so much! i like to visit here myself and that's always been one of the criteria for it. would i visit it myself if i were looking for a place to think, reflect, or pause long enough to feel my heartbeat! steven

steven said...

friko - compared to the steven i was when i started this blog i've moved into a much calmer and less posturing place. i have a journey to undertake that will be fruitful, painful, worthy work. i'll name it "the rest of my life"!!! i couldn't teach you now friko but the little girl you were perhaps. i wish i had had myself for a teacher when i was younger. i needed someone to understand me and my problems with school. someone who would see the little fires and tell me it's alright to be on fire. is that what you would hope for? steven