Brian’s Reflection: Thursday, June 17, 2010


Don't worry, spiders
,
I keep house

casually.

Issa , Japanese haiku poet


The perfect haiku as a metaphor for being a welcoming person to all who come to share in our lives!

I don’t like spiders, so I had to do a little work to suppress the “ick” factor re spiders. But even that was a helpful part of the haiku. That’s the reaction we so often have to those persons who generate a negative feeling in us – well, they don’t generate it, we generate it within ourselves because of some conditioning. There’s a lot of that that happens in our early lives (or later): we are “taught” by others to react in certain ways. One of the very important “works” we have to do in later Life is readjust these teachings, or simply get rid of them!

Most of us, alas, enter into adult Life somewhat rigid. Most of us are not raised by people who help us to approach Life pliable, open, flexible, welcoming of others and their “different” ways. Any Philosophy or Religion or Path worth its salt will crack us open, break down the walls of prejudice and fear that most of us are brought up with, either by our families or by our “culture”. But usually we have to reject the one wee were brought up with and either choose another or reform the one we know.

Though there remain some places I’m stuck (presently have problems with Republicans, fundamentalists of all stripes, Mormons, J’s Witnesses), what I have learned and am constantly learning to say to the World, to Life, to others is:

Don't worry, spiders
,

I keep house


casually.

If it’s not a Black Widow, I’ll try to cohabit!

Brian+