Being With

It seems our thoughts turn to simple matters from time to time. As we study those simple things, we suddenly face with larger, deeper issues. Like a magnifying glass or microscope, we see more details in what appeared simple on the surface. Building blocks are like that. they are basic but hold the secrets of support, strength, even might.

An idea is a building block. So is an observation of a flower, a bud, a stem, root, even weeds. The botanical world is enormous when viewed with a microscope. How do roots function? How does food enter the plant and circulate in the cellular structure to nourish the plant? What is the role of water? How is it absorbed by the plant, and where does it go within the plant?

The idea, again, articulates the ephemeral but gives the idea life to expand, explore and grab onto other matters and ideas. The brain is pulling in resources by the second and feeding broader understanding. The psyche supplies emotions to the process. We become aware of other basic things that are now not so simple.

Like being with. With what? With others, for one. With space and place, for another. With child, pregnancy for yet another. Dimensions come from being. We measure self by such being. We understand topics, experience and relationships from being. We have memory of a past being, past experience, past relationships and use those memories to create new ones.

Being with self is a skill. Being with others is a skill. Letting both of these experiences merge gives us a portal to know the being and expand our knowledge.

When alone, are we able to be with? I think so. The knowledge of past beings informs us. Those never go away. We live with them forever.

When alone we can connect with others through literature, Facebook, email, phone, yes, even Twitter and others like it. The pandemic gave us video conferencing on a grand scale. We had it before but didn’t use it like we do today. Video communication is so common it has replaced much face-to-face transactions.

When alone from other persons, we are not alone in totality. We are connected. In real terms or technological. And in memory.

Being with means a lot. It is a building block for more being. And more with.

Ponder on this.

October 21, 2022

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intimacy

As we mature, we become deeply involved in relationships. Some of this is basic family relations – siblings, parental – and the like. Next is friends who enter our homes and we theirs. Neighbors, classmates, mutual hobbyists and so forth. Then we develop friendships that go much deeper. We comfort one another when we are hurting physically or emotionally. We discuss the matters of life and learn much more about ourselves and each other. We can even anticipate how others will react to various situations and stimuli. Good friendships do not spread to everyone we know. No, good friendships are special, close and deeply personal. We focus attention and brainpower on these few friends. Some special relationships focus on specific topics of interest and importance. Yes, we have specialized friendships. Most common. But one day, we get to know one person very well. An emotional connection forms with deep roots. A need to know the person more fully expands in personal ways. We sense this b...
Read more

Bits & Pieces

Pie: Apple pie more specifically. With Thanksgiving just passed, many of us enjoyed a good apple pie. Sure, there was pumpkin to accompany the turkey, but in our family multiple pies are offered in the holidays. Apple is surely one. Pecan, pumpkin and others, too. But I almost always choose apple. When I was in college, I was asked what kind of pie did I eat most often. In front of my mom, I answered apple, because I was always looking for a pie as good as mom’s own. Of course my mother was pleased, but it was a true statement just the same. When I was married, Ann’s pie was darned good. Her mother’s recipe. But we fiddled with the recipe until it took on its own generational name, and boy, was it good! Today I still order apple pie for dessert because I am always looking for a great pie to challenge our family recipes. I rarely do find such a prize. Do others do the same? Do you search for a great pie of choice, continually? If you do, what’s your story? Why do you do this? ...
Read more

Remembering Tom Sherlock

Tom Sherlock died on Wednesday, April 3rd. He was 65 years old and did not survive a heart surgery. That was his unexpected end and sad enough. But there is more to his story. Tom joined Dan Schuyler and George Safford to create what became the Village Chronicles, a weekly newspaper serving Warrenville, Illinois. That paper expanded to serve Winfield and then West Chicago. The paper published for eight years and built a good reputation for itself. Tom served the paper in several ways. He was our information technology guru, provided hardware and software to support the paper's operations. He was our sole bookkeeper, accountant and financial manager. He designed our distribution process and provided office space for meetings and layout and typesetting. His efforts supported the work of 32 volunteers who wrote and reported on the communities we served.  The newspaper broke even financially most of the time, but it was a struggle. Tom managed to find money to keep the newspaper afloat...
Read more