clouds seen through door
SKY COMPASSION

The evolution of Life on Earth started out with very simple forms, and now has produced us sentient beings capable of thinking. My experience has been that mentality when used to learn about and understand other beings and things opens the door to having feelings for them. You learn about a tree, then that tree means something to you. The Mentality --> compassion formula seems to be hardwired into the evolution of Life on Earth. In this world where many worthy things, like trees, are threatened or doomed, the word "compassion" is worth thinking about, because it's a special feeling for things facing hard times.

You might find it curious that I, a hermit-type person living apart from things that most people have strong feelings for -- family, community, religious and political beliefs, and such -- bring up the matter of compassion.

This week I thought about compassion after leaving my home of nearly three years at Ek Balam. Especially my compassion for the dogs. I hadn't wanted those dogs in my life, but they came anyway, and then began following me around, expecting attention. They aggravated me, and fleas and ticks they scratched off made their ways onto me, keeping me itching perpetually. But, on moving here, I felt awful about leaving those dogs. I regretted so intensely being absent when I knew it was their time of day to expect certain things of me, such as our morning jogs, and my patting them when they came near later.

So, according to my thinking, we're all manifestations within the One Thing, which over time evolves ever more intelligent beings on Earth. It seems that using that intelligence to know and learn about other things, like flea-bitten rancho dogs, spontaneously engenders compassion for the learned-about things. That all sounds OK so far, but it also seems to me that the Universe is so structured that compassion always leads to heartbreak. For, everything in the Universe that can be cared about eventually succumbs one way or another, ourselves included.

What are we thinking, feeling beings to think of this situation?

A feature of the thinking and feeling I've done this week is that at my new home in the woods near Tepakán I have a good view of the sky. For several years, trees have blocked my views. But, look at the photo atop this page showing where I was sitting typing this essay before getting up to take the picture. What a joy to have white clouds sailing by all day, clouds that come and go, leaving no trace of themselves behind. It's a good thinking and feeling environment.

In the night, the same southern view is full of stars, and I lie in the tent thinking about how Life on Earth is like the Universe itself, so majestic and mysterious. And, out there, galaxies are colliding, and star systems are disappearing into black holes. Surely throughout the Universe there's the same evolutionary urge toward mentality as on Earth, and amid all those colliding galaxies and black holes there must be innumerable sentient beings of unimaginable form and manners of being, right now experiencing something at least a little like my lying awake in the middle of the night remembering left-behind dogs.

The formula, then, is mentality --> compassion --> heartbreak.

But, back to that question as to what we're supposed to think about the situation.

I'm sort of neutral on the whole matter, not especially grateful to be a growingly aware being stuck in this deteriorating biological body, but not bitter, either. More curious than anything, about why it's all set up this way.

I just wish that the dogs... But, don't anyone ever dare bring me a dog! Well, funny how it's all stuck together.