Dolphin Address 45
November 14th 2005
From day one this has been a concept associated with the dolphin that I found very hard to grasp. There always seemed to be this double bottom. On first glance it's not so hard to understand. Love can't really be love if it only sails on preset conditions. But then the consequence presents itself. Should it be there no matter what, should it be without end, should it even be blind?.
Surely we live in a world of harsh realities. Innocence and trust can sometimes better be subjected to common sense than be on intuitive generous handout. It is a painful experience we all meet and one that cautions to reserve and defence or even breaks into revenge. And so the boundless Universe narrows down into scarcity. We barbwire our connections to others, short-circuiting the good by protecting us from hazard.
When I was younger so much younger than today, I embarked on quick witted sarcasm: 'You put your bet on number one and it comes up every time.'(Jethro Tull). I grinned away the soft options, idled in the relative sanctuary of wisecracks, until I found it was eating me out and left me in loneliness. 'And in the end the love you make is equal to the love you take.'
(Beatles).
For several weeks now I am listening to the old Bob Dylan again. When he says: 'Don't follow leaders and watch your parking meters' he tells me to move on, but not into which direction. There is of course quite a choice in the Teachings. Whether it is Jesus, the dolphin or some Indian guru, all include a blank space in their wisdom that is to be filled by your own good sense.
This weekend I went to Amma, and saw her hug several hundreds of the 15.000 people that added to the 24 million that rested in her embrace. It's her second visit to Ireland and her message can be summed up in four letters: love. There's nothing fragile or complacent about it, but it's very practical. She tells us to focus on the good in every situation and let it prevail over evil. The newspapers may keep telling us how bad we are, but I chose to believe there is this immense body of good will in the world as, regardless of all the horrors presented we still try to keep on trucking the right track. (
http://www.ammaireland.org/)
This morning she entered for the second day. I let my eyes glide over the people that met her and I saw an ocean of smiling faces. Sometimes the brain can be such a poor navigator. I felt enveloped in a mighty feeling that ruled out any reservation. This is the unconditional love we can share as a fundament for the human condition. This is a flow to carry us regardless of the boulders underneath. Perhaps love is like an idea: you cannot make it, only receive it and if you want to make it happen you've got to open up to it. You are to gather the straws, twirl them into a nest and the egg will come in its own time.
Om shantih, shantih, shantih-i
Jan Ploeg
,
Basketball Arena, Tallaght, Dublin, November 14th 2005
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