Fire Pit

"Regret for wasted time is more wasted time."-- Mason Cooley


I have the tendency to be OCD about events, decisions, and situations that could cause a monstrous disaster if done incorrectly. Who I am I kidding, I’m OCD about whether or not I put a stamp on the envelope I just dropped in the mail slot. There are often times where I can’t sleep because my brain is too busy being wide awake hypothetically planning the next 5 years of my life. Maybe if I plan it while I’m supposed to be sleeping, when the time actually comes I’ll be set and not have a slight panic attack while at work spending someone else’s million dollars because I figured out the problem in my head while drifting in and out of REM sleep. This happens…a lot.

Although I manage to jam pack a lot of information into a few hours I find myself wasting time. I think it’s because when I stop and be still, I find it as unchartered territory that has become more and more unfamiliar to me. I have a fire pit I have never used. Due to past experiences I attach the concept of a fire pit to long conversations about life, love, and stripped away facades. I think these experiences are the best use of human time, with that being said, I have had such a lack of these lately I feel like I’m wasting away.

My days are filled with numbers, codes, dollar bills, and spreadsheets. I’m part of the daily grind that makes the world go round. That’s a pretty sweet feeling when you score big in the conference room because you nailed your presentation however the adrenaline fades after your back in your office and your desk is still covered in the thousands of papers it was before the presentation.

I’m starting up that fire pit soon. I feel like I need a dose of time well spent in front of the flames, the crisp air, and good company.

Karma v. Faith: Meeting in the Middle

Being a part of the subculture called the “bar scene” you end up finding out a lot of information that in any other setting one might not disperse to the person next to them or the one serving them. The idea of “karma” came into the play as last call was making its rounds this evening. A group of gentleman that frequent the bar on a regular basis were tapering off as a few of them somehow ended on the topic of Karma.

Although I believe in God and have a faith based in that direction I find myself contemplating the concept of Karma.

'Karma' is an Indian religious concept in contradistinction to 'faith' espoused by Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), which view all human dramas as the will of God as opposed to present—and past—life actions. In theistic schools of Hinduism, humans have free will to choose good or evil and suffer the consequences, which require the will of God to implement karma's consequences, unlike Buddhism or Jainism which do not accord any role to a supreme God or gods. In Indian beliefs, the karmic effects of all deeds are viewed as actively shaping past, present, and future experiences. The results or 'fruits' of actions are called karma-phala '

Thank you Wikipedia for the verification. I struggle to contemplate that both are completely different areas and do not anywhere intermingle. If God gave us free will, than I have to believe it is also possible that putting good vibes out into the world can only help your chances of walking into more positive vibes in the future. This hypothesis becomes void when something ‘bad’ happens to a ‘good’ person. With that being said I find myself thinking perhaps it’s not what bad thing happened but how the good person handled it that will determine the karma that comes around.

I have to believe that being A) you were good to a crappy person but B) they were sucky to you in turn will eventually equal to C) a good thing happening since the beginning of the equation started off with something positive. Eh, what do I know? I’ve crashed and burned this equation many times over, however I cannot seem to tweak the equation. Perhaps the karma that occurs isn’t based on the reaction you received the first time around.

I have to believe that both karma and faith exist. There is a cause and effect to actions, is this based on the past rap sheet one had? This might be based on the fact on if you have any faith at all. A lot of people spend too much time wanting to play the blame game on why something crappy happened to them. I don’t think I’m built that way. At the end of the day, some people are just mean and others are amazing to have in your life. Some will suck the very life of out of you and some will ignite a passion in you that will start the rest of your life. Is it determined by cause and effect and how these people come into your life? I have absolutely no idea, but my hunch is, having faith can help you see the silver lining ‘good’ karma in any ‘bad’ karma setting.