When I look at what this conversation,
Frame Of Reference,
is about, I see it includes being certain, being sure, being decisive,
being bold, not doubting, not hesitating etc. Yet every
one of these components are transcended, surpassed by what this
conversation ultimately brings forth.
If I'm going to live with certainty (which is to say if I'm going to
be certain), if I'm going to be sure, if I'm going to be
decisive, if I'm going to be bold, if I'm not going to doubt, if I'm
not going to hesitate, then my inquiry goes along these
lines: what's my frame of reference for certainty, for
being sure, for being decisive, for being bold, for not doubting, for
not hesitating?
My frame of reference for living like this is
context
- or, to be quite specific, being
present
to
context.
If I'm
present
to
context
when I do anything at all (which is to say if I get
myself
present
to
context
before I do anything), then I notice no effort's required to be
certain, to be sure, to be decisive, to be bold, to not doubt, to not
hesitate, because being
present
to
context,
I simply become that way in the process of Life itself.
Another frame of reference for me for living like this is
Self
- or, to be quite specific, being
present to
Self.
If I'm
present to Self
(which is to say if I get myself
present to Self
before I do anything), then I notice no effort's required to be
certain, to be sure, to be decisive, to be bold, to not doubt, to not
hesitate, because being
present
to
Self,
I simply become that way in the process of Life itself.
Up to a point (which is to say interimly), both being
present
to
context
and being
present to Self
suffice. But the point after which they no longer suffice (which is to
say ultimately) is reached when I ask the question "What
tells me this certainty, this assuredness, this decisiveness, this
boldness, this not doubting, and this not hesitating, is
authentic?".
I'm clear I need to resolve this issue for myself ... because if I
don't, then this seemingly solid platform of "certainty" on which I
stand could turn out to be termite infested and collapse at any moment.
After inquiring, after engaging with this issue, after telling the
truth unflinchingly about
what's so
for me in this matter, my answer to the question "What tells me this
certainty, this assuredness, this decisiveness, this boldness, this not
doubting, and this not hesitating, is authentic?" ... is ...
"You!"
- which is to say it's "My relationship with
you.".
Getting this is a
"water is wet,
rocks are hard, and Mother is Mother" kind of realization for
me. I could question
"Why
is
water wet?".
I could also delve into
"Why
are rocks hard?". There are some mighty intelligent people who can
provide (indeed who have provided) answers to both of
these questions. I'm not one of them. I'm just pragmatic.
Water is wet
... so I want to drink it.
Water is wet
... so I want to
swim
in it.
Water is wet
... so I want to
surf
on it. To do any or all of the above, I don't need to understand
whywater is wet.
In fact (and unavoidably) pursuing whywater is wet
only postpones and gets in the way of drinking water,
swimming
in it, and
surfing
on it. So I've dropped trying to understand the
wetness of water
entirely.
Like that, I've dropped entirely trying to understand why
you
give me (which is to say why my relationship with
you
gives me) my frame of reference for the authenticity of my
certainty, of my assuredness, of my decisiveness, of my boldness, of my
not doubting, and of my not hesitating. Like
wetness for water,
authenticity like this is simply a given. And like water, I'll
drink it (sparkling and ice cold is best), and I'll
swim
in it, and I'll
surf
on it ... with
you
... forever.