Jack/Zen

A zen perspective on how we think about the future

  • Home
  • The Jack/Zen design intention
  • Why Our Sense of the Future Matters
    • Edit
    • Delete
    • Tags
    • Autopost

    Being alive

    We keep ourselves stuck with how and why questions. How am I to live? How am I to get people to love me the way I want them to? How am I do get where I want to go in my career? Why am I where I am? Why do people in my world act and think the way they do? Joseph Campbell's spin: I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive. Looking for the meaning of life is looking for the how and why. Being alive is about saying yes to what makes us feel most alive. The answer to how and why is yes. What makes you feel alive?
    Tags » Appreciative living
    • 30 April 2005
    • Views
    • Permalink
    • Tweet
    • 7 responses
    • Like
    • Comment
    almost 7 years ago Kathryn responded:
    Oh, yes! You have touched on a key topic. Thank you for bringing me to attention. Your tidbits are always timely.
    almost 7 years ago Kathryn responded:
    And in answer to your question, these things make me feel alive. :)
    almost 7 years ago steveg responded:
    Yet another example of the differentiating of living as a have'r, do'er, and be'er. It is always in the questions: How can I get .... and How do I ...

    Campbell goes to How am I being ...

    almost 7 years ago harvey responded:
    The physical and mental exhaustion after a couple hours fencing, or the physical exhaustion after a night of salsa dancing. Those make me feel alive.

    Oh, and a big bar of Lindt Dark Chocolate and no one to share it with. :)

    almost 7 years ago Lauren responded:
    Jack, I have taken to awakening daily (physically and spiritually) to your thoughts. Thank you :) I had never taken to reading blogs before reading yours and Lois's (heart@work).

    Lauren

    almost 7 years ago Dave M responded:
    Two things make me feel alive. The first is working with my horse. He got a little out of hand today, and I got REAL present to him on a non-verbal, intuitive, level. (He is such a reminder of being present and bieng nonjudgemental.)

    The second is playing music in an ensemble. I am a very good player of a powerful instrument, and making music - joyful, semi-improvistory - with friends is another thing.

    Both of these remind me a Thomas Merton quote that I saw on a A Mindful Life:

    By being attentive, by learning to listen (or recovering the natural capacity to listen which cannot be learned any more than breathing), we can find ourself engulfed in such happiness that it cannot be explained; the happiness of being at one with everything in that hidden ground of Love for which there can be no explanations. --Thomas Merton

    almost 7 years ago Jack responded:
    Great quote Dave, thanks. A good reminder about the "unexplained happiness."

  • Jack Ricchiuto's Space

    10-time author and designer with a focus on change in organizations and communities. HappinessChoice.com. Contact Jack at jack(at)happinesschoice(dot)com

  • About Jack Ricchiuto

    10-time author and designer with a focus on change in organizations and communities. HappinessChoice.com. Contact Jack at jack(at)happinesschoice(dot)com

  • Subscribe via RSS

    Archive

    2012 (49)
    February (7)
    December (42)
    2011 (549)
    December (36)
    November (39)
    October (39)
    September (43)
    August (48)
    July (56)
    June (46)
    May (49)
    April (51)
    March (50)
    February (47)
    January (45)
    2010 (364)
    December (30)
    November (30)
    October (31)
    September (30)
    August (31)
    July (31)
    June (30)
    May (31)
    April (31)
    March (30)
    February (29)
    January (30)
    2009 (365)
    December (32)
    November (29)
    October (31)
    September (30)
    August (32)
    July (30)
    June (31)
    May (30)
    April (31)
    March (29)
    February (28)
    January (32)
    2008 (225)
    December (32)
    November (30)
    October (35)
    September (29)
    August (32)
    July (31)
    June (30)
    May (6)
    2007 (285)
    October (13)
    September (30)
    August (31)
    July (31)
    June (31)
    May (29)
    April (30)
    March (32)
    February (27)
    January (31)
    2006 (367)
    December (31)
    November (31)
    October (31)
    September (32)
    August (32)
    July (29)
    June (31)
    May (31)
    April (30)
    March (31)
    February (28)
    January (30)
    2005 (365)
    December (30)
    November (30)
    October (31)
    September (29)
    August (32)
    July (31)
    June (29)
    May (31)
    April (33)
    March (30)
    February (29)
    January (30)
    2004 (366)
    December (32)
    November (30)
    October (31)
    September (30)
    August (30)
    July (32)
    June (30)
    May (31)
    April (30)
    March (30)
    February (30)
    January (30)
    2003 (368)
    December (31)
    November (31)
    October (31)
    September (30)
    August (32)
    July (32)
    June (29)
    May (32)
    April (29)
    March (31)
    February (29)
    January (31)
    2002 (141)
    December (30)
    November (30)
    October (31)
    September (31)
    August (19)
    1999 (1)
    November (1)

  • Sites I Like

    • The Joy of Thriving/ Book 10
    • Fast Company Design
    • TED Confereneces
    • Creative Emergence
    • Network Weaving Blog
    • Thank You in 400+ languages
    • Wordnik

    Follow Me

Theme created for Posterous by Obox