I’m still uncomfortable with ascribing some meaning to existence. It is, to me, a fundamentally superstitious question. By that I mean that it implies we are looking for some overarching being (power/god/”force” who/which made a conscious decision that we would come into existence to serve out some plan or cause. I think it more likely that our existence is an inevitable result of the workings of the universe (inevitable because possible, if that makes sense).

I don’t mind the question (for philosophical musing): Why is there Something instead of Nothing? I don’t suppose we’ll ever know that, but it helps me to sleep (to steal a line from James Taylor).

The Beatles said it almost right in the execrable song “Let It Be.” Execrable, because, musically, it was uninteresting to me, and included the line of Catholic crap “Mother Mary comes to me.” Anyway, I say “almost” because I think, philosophically, I like the phrase “Let Be” better than “Let It Be.”

At any given moment I have the inclination to overcome my inertia and go outside to weed the garden, or I don’t. How much more do I need to know about myself than that? (Of course, I’m using the notion of “weeding the garden” both in its literal sense, and as a metaphor/stand-in for all manner of things).

Thanks to my host for the opportunity to muse.

I have always had a sort of viscerally uncomfortable (not the right word, but, . . .) reaction to the alleged existential question “Who am I?” What??? You are who you are, that’s all. You are that you are. Now get on with it, live, do stuff. I am probably not explaining this very well. You know when folks say (often on bumper stickers) Jesus is the Answer (or some such thing)? My mental response is always “What’s the question?”

I also respond negatively when people say, “I’m the kind of person who . . .” What? Take responsibility for your damn choices! Say: “This is what I do in such situation. This is the choice I make. This is what I like.” “Kind of person” indeed. Might as well read horoscopes for fuck’s sake! It’s like fobbing off your own idiocy (and sacrificing your own gift of uniqueness and specialness), on some “archetype” you think you fit.

I could rant about this forever, but it is not my blog. Here’s my take on it: Get Out There And Do What It Is You Choose To Do! Or, As a wise person said, and a wise person named “Mom” reminded us of above, Be Here Now.

You’re asking a question that most people couldn’t care less about. Think about it; you run in a pretty enlightened circle, and how many people do YOU know who are ultimately concerned with “who we are and why we are here”? Precious few, that’s how many.

Humans in general have not gotten beyond that need to control (or, rather, I think we probably were beyond it sometime in the distant past, but lost our way along the myriad paths to modernization). The power structures that are in place don’t WANT us to figure out the answers to these questions, because we would recognize that we don’t NEED those power structures. A lot of people would be out of a job.

Oh, and that Mom is a smart chickie! Every breath is an opportunity to make a different choice.