“The significance of the cherry blossom tree in Japanese culture goes back hundreds of years. In our country, the cherry blossom represents the fragility and beauty of life. It’s a reminder that life is almost overwhelmingly beautiful, but that it is also tragically short.”
“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”
“A human being would certainly not grow to be seventy or eighty years old if this longevity had no meaning for the species. The afternoon of human life must also have a significance of it’s own and cannot be merely a pitiful appendage to life’s morning.”
I will riff on each of these quotes later in this post, but first let me share the significance of writing about significance.
When I greet my grand-children, I spread my arms wide, gather as much loving chi as I can, and then close my hands together and bow. It’s my way of saying, “I salute the best in you.”
More fully, I’m acknowledging each child’s divine, cosmic uniqueness and significance.
According to the Hindu customs, this bow accompanies the greeting of “Namaste” which has a spiritual meaning, too.
Hindus believe that the divine and soul is the same in everybody.
So when you say Namaste to someone, it implies ‘I bow to the divine in you’.
It is commonly connected with the symbol of Om—a spiritually resonant sound. Personally, I believe the soul is unique in everybody. Some people develop theirs and some don’t. Some believe there are highly evolved, old souls who come back to earth to enlighten those of us who could stand a little more conscious clarity. As a highly biased grandparent, of course, I choose to believe that both of my grandchildren are deeply steeped and highly evolved beings who have the potential to become significant messengers on earth.
My friend Artie, Founder of Energy’s Way, has had a significant impact on my evolving beliefs on this issue. In response to my last post on Supremacy, he challenged me to think about significance in an entirely different way.
While it is true that we live in a vast universe, on a small planet, with 8 billion other humans; Artie suggests it is still possible to appreciate our presence here as divine, cosmic unique and significant beings.
How do we do that?
Let’s start with the cherry blossom as a representation of fragility and beauty of life.
A few years ago, another friend of mine and I traveled to Japan to experience an abbreviated pilgrimage of Buddhist temples in Shikoku.
There are a total of 88 temples a person can visit, and we hiked to 12 of them. Although our experience was brief, it was inspiring to appreciate the magic and mystery of each temple in a corner of the world that seemed so removed from the madness, the misery and the mundane matters of ordinary life. We also had the opportunity in Kyoto to take a guided tour through a couple of Zen Gardens where the cherry blossoms served as one example of the fragility and beauty of life. It was a very moving experience. These moments seemed significant to me.
Over 2,000 years ago, Aristotle implored us to focus more on internal significance than outward appearance.
Over the past few decades, our attention has been drawn more and more toward outward appearances through Instagram, Facebook, and other media platforms.
Technology and time have become tyrants in our life. Taking a moment to ponder a particular moment or event has become a rare opportunity.
In short, we are more consumed by “That” than moved by “This.” THIS is significant. (See my post THIS and That.) I think Aristotle was encouraging us to look deeply inside, to get a better sense of who we are, and to identify what is most significant in our inner lives.
Carl Jung reminds us that the afternoon of life has its own significance.
Sunsets are not simply a pitiful appendage to sunrises.
As I approach 80 in an ageist culture, I notice how I’m becoming more invisible to others.
I’m easily dismissed as a result of my outward appearance.
I find it ironic that as my vision grows, my visibility diminishes. I have never seen life more clearly.
I’m noticing more often how thoughts, feelings and behaviors distinguish each person—I’m seeing their uniqueness and significance more than I ever have. I experience the loving hugs of my grandkids. I appreciate the wisdom of so many who came before me as well as those who live with me. I’m in awe at the power of ideas and Nature. I feel so much joy in so many moments. Each THIS is significant in its own way. Oh yes, I know that life is fraught and fragile, AND it has so many beautiful possibilities. The question is, how do we make more moments significant, how do we experience THIS?
I think we start by being more conscious about what we are seeing, hearing, and feeling.
In our small village of Elk Rapids, we asked citizens to imagine an ideal community in 2050.
What would they see, what would they hear, what would they feel?
The responses were inspiring. People wanted to see diverse neighborhoods, thriving schools, people walking and biking, children playing, beautiful butterflies, clear water, and common ground. They wanted to hear children laughing, different opinions, music, positivity, quiet motors, neighbors chatting, new ideas, lots of questions, sounds of joy, and honest expressions. They wanted to feel welcomed, safe, valued, joyful, proud, understood, inspired—a sense of belonging, togetherness, and home. Those visions seem significant to me. This experience of noticing, opening, creating and evolving also feels significant.
If I apply those same questions to myself (although I should probably change the date since I would be 105 in 2050), I can also envision what life might look like as I continue to evolve.
I want to see the brightness in my grandkids’ eyes, a sense of calm clarity in my daughters’ eyes, and a sense of peaceful tranquility in my wife’s eyes. I want to look in awe at the sunrises and sunsets, in the changing seasons, and in Nature’s unending unfolding. I want to feel a deep sense of acceptance, gratitude and compassion for all that life brings my way.
In short, what I’m learning—in spite of the cultural bullhorns blaring the opposite—is that appreciating significance can be more meaningful than applauding supremacy; and THIS is far more fulfilling than that, i.e. the things in our lives are less important than our experiences and connections.
So, when I bow to my children, I hope they will feel seen in all their divine, cosmic, uniqueness and significance.
I’m hoping we will all find more meaning in the significant moments of our lives and more fulfillment in THIS moment now.
And, as we navigate the madness, misery and mundane moments in our lives, may we also notice the magic and mystery constantly arising in front of us.
May it be so.
Also published on Medium.
Lovely Ricky, just lovely!