I find the most meaning in the living function of the earth. All living things breath. Even nature breaths in a way, taking in carbon dioxide and giving out oxygen. This oxygen is essential for life on earth, how could it not have meaning, unless you believe life has no meaning, but that seems very dreary to me, absurd in fact. When I breath, i feel alive, which may seem obvious but it is important to cherish the simplest things in life. It makes you appreciate life itself, the fact that you can stand up and think freely, breathing. Ancient culture commonly linked breathing to a life force. The Hebrew Bible refers to God breathing the breath of life into clay to make Adam a living soul . It also refers to the breath as returning to God when a mortal dies. The terms "spirit," "qi," "prana" and "psyche" are related to the concept of breath. Also cognate are Polynesian Mana and Hebrew ruach. These words like qi( pronounced Chi) and mana are simply words from different cultures that represent energy or the life force. This is very important because it is connected with the health and power of the human body and that of any life form. This energy is seen as the spirit, essentially god. It is in every culture, just in different words and stories. It is seen in star wars as "the force", the energy of the world. So think about this next time you take a breath, think about your Qi and how it is flowing within you and without you.
Qi and Psyche and even "the force" are all great things. The power of breath is both a biological and a cultural theme. But what do they mean to you at a philosophical level?
ReplyDeleteI think that Max is saying to enjoy all the little things in life, such as breathing. Enjoying all the little things is what makes a person happy. I feel like society is moving too fast and is forgetting to slow down and breathe.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same thing that Justin's interpretation of Max's post. I think this post is really lovely. There is such balance and harmony in this organic earth and though we might be small and seemingly meaningless for a lifetime, we will die and decompose back into the soil. Everything is a cycle and what we do eventually lays a path for generations in the future, for people, animals and the earth itself.
ReplyDelete