"He was expert in knowing the thoughts and actions of living beings"
– Vimalakirtinirdesha Sutra 2
"Jesus knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone."
– John 2:24-25
From Jesus and Buddha: the Parallel Sayings
I don't hang with organized religion too much, but I do believe that if we quit with our own fears, agendas, and wants, our greatest spiritual thinkers have a lot to teach us about life strategy.
Lately I've felt out of touch with myself. For a long time I thought it was because I wasn't writing on a regular enough schedule, but that's not quite it.
Talking to a friend today, I might have found a piece of the problem: I'm constantly reacting to the world. Rarely do I step back from a situation and just watch and listen. I'm always feeling something.
This isn't just about feeling like my life is a loosely controlled whirlwind of emotion. Writers are always writing, every second of every day. That means we're also always observing. And if I'm mostly reacting, mostly just seeing my own feelings and actions, then what does that say about the characters I write?
No comments:
Post a Comment