Peacefulness

Walking back from work last night was very peaceful. A warm breeze was blowing from the south. The tall plants and trees waved back and forth, lazily in the night. A few passive raindrops fell from the sky, pitter-pattering on the pavement on which I tread. The wind brought the smell of a sweet spring rain. There was no one else around; lights from the town shone steadily while those of distant radio tower blinked on and off slowly. As I neared the end of my walk I heard the quiet sloshing of the nearby stream. I was in no hurry this night; I was nearly deliberate in taking my time. I took the chance to take in the sights, sounds, perceptions around me; to reflect.

I thought about how this peaceful scene I interpret could be seen in a much different way if the perspectives were different: A mother duck awakens to find her nest being invaded by a local denizen of feline variety. In the creek, a fish struggles for its life in the rain-swollen creek as it is dashed against rocks in the violent current. A young plant grapples for stability in the loose sod against the wind of the night.

And so I realized that our perception of the world's state of being is greatly effected by our inner state of being. In this night, I was at peace. And hence, the world I saw was at peace. The world I saw was peaceful. And therefore, I was peaceful.

While this may be surprising to some, to myself in fact, at that moment I felt completely content. Given, I was not focused on my search for employment, looking for a house, money. Nor was I worried about the duck, fish, or plant. But if I were given to worry, those would be the things I would worry about most. I feel content in all other areas of my life. After all, contentedness is being contented with your situation in life. Not everything must be in perfect order, in perfect place, in perfect health, in perfect condition in order for one to be content.

Perhaps next time I'll write on the balance of contentedness and mediocrity.

Also, I thought this was interesting. Facebook recently began placing ads based on personal information. For example, job searches for seniors, dating services for single people, etc. This recently appeared in my ad bar area:

Apparently Facebook even records the change in relationship statuses for advertising purposes. Freaky.

Currently listening to: Icon of Coil