Trust | Becoming is Superior to Being

Doubtful Canyon Tree — Image by kenne

You must trust and believe in people, or life becomes impossible.

— Anton Chekhov

Oak Tree Gall Leave a comment

Oak Tree Gall — Image by kenne

“If you cannot trust yourself,
you cannot even trust your mistrust of yourself –
so that without this underlying trust in the whole system
of nature you are simply paralyzed.”

— Alan W. Watts

Something for Nothing, Entry for March 06, 2008 On Old Blog Leave a comment

Image: The Spoken Groove at the Wizard Academy, Fall 2005 – kenne

Something for Nothing

Poets understand the experience of, “something for nothing,” since their subject is life, for which most people don’t make a significant connection. If they did, it would be apparent that life is best understood through poetry. However, sharing poetry is like giving something for nothing, therefore suspect — unless, it is considered an expected right. Okay, I know our basic rights, “…life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” but…

Still, there are those who suggest that we are a nation of people desiring “something for nothing,” as if a right of birth. But, what happens if the something for nothing is money? If we are a society expecting something for nothing, then giving away money should be easy, right? For most of us, giving money away is not a difficult task; just write a check to our favorite non-profit organization. However, what if the act of giving involved a situation outside what may be considered “normal?” What if the receiver perceives the act of giving as deviant behavior? Would the behavior reflect that of a society expecting something for nothing? Deviant behavior removes the element of trust, thereby neutralizing the desire for “something for nothing,” right?

Since attending a day workshop at Roy William’s Wizard Academy a couple years ago, I have been following the adventures of the Spoken Groove (Peter Nevland and Paul Finley) who provided some entertainment near the end of the day.

This week I received another email from Peter, which began:

“I stood on a street corner, cardboard sign in my hands, as the sun beamed overhead.
‘Free Money!’ it proclaimed as I held out
dollars to all who passed me by.

Their fingers stayed closed. Eyes looked away. Middle fingers raised in mock salute.
Voices cursed behind safety glass.
‘What are you doing this for?’
‘Give it to someone who really needs it.”

You can see what Peter experienced by going to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCiobYKcEU4

It reminds me of a psychology class assignment, so what’s the lesson?

kenne