To be alive means to be awake; for most of us it means ‘waking up.’ Too many of us, even though we are not aware of it, are asleep. We’re born asleep, we live each day asleep, we marry while we are asleep, we raise children while we are asleep and we die in our sleep – we pass through this life without ever waking up. Because we live sleeping-lives we never grasp the wonder and the mystery of life; of being fully human – of being awake and aware NOW.
The great mystics – not matter their faith tradition or their philosophical tradition – are unanimous regarding one thing: all is well, all is well. Even though everything is a mess, all is well. A concerting paradox, indeed. Sadly, because we are mostly asleep we never get to see that all is well. Because we are mostly asleep our dreams become nightmares – all is not well, in fact life is a struggle, a conflict, a war, and we are doomed. To paraphrase one English author: life is short and brutish. WAKE UP! I say to myself – sometimes I say it many times a day. Sometimes I have to ask myself: Richard, do you really want to wake up? Sometimes I reply, Yes I do. And sometimes I know better than to believe myself. During my sleep I move toward feeling sorry for myself – I just want to be taken care of. I just want my life to be simple. I just want relief from my anxieties. I remember when I was 22, many years ago now, a therapist reflected to me that I really didn’t want to ‘be cured;’ I wanted relief. Being cured is painful – just ask any side of cured-ham – it requires a transformation and a ‘dying to’ and a ‘letting go of’ and a ‘taking on.’ Being awake does not bring comfort – being awake brings disturbance.
I continue to find that waking up is uncomfortable; I would rather ‘stay in bed and remain asleep.’ Waking up doesn’t occur just one time – we are masters when it comes to sleeping and so waking up is something that we must do over and over and over. Some people have asked me to help them wake up – my reply is that it is not my job to wake you up [I have enough challenge when it comes to waking myself up]. Actually, it’s really none of my business if others wake up; their life is their business. I might be able to offer some questions that if lived into might be a guide for one who is seeking to wake up; if you profit from them fine – if you don’t that is fine also for it’s your choice [just like it is my choice]. So, today, once again, I am challenged with whether to wake up or remain asleep – sleep sounds so inviting right now; let me close my eyes for a bit and think about it.