When you look at a few of the biggest questions in all of life, at some point or another you're almost certainly going to brush up against the mysteries of where we came from and where we're going. On the cosmic level and beyond, these ultimately are unanswerable questions. When viewed a bit closer to home, however, we can start to come up with some actual answers that provide meaning for us.
When we look at ourselves as human, for instance, these questions can become a bit more flushed out. I'm not talking about "human" in mere biological terms, but more in regard to the fullfillment of our potential as individuals (and beyond). On this path to becoming fully human -- which I'm declaring to be the promised land we are all seeking -- where did we come from and where are we going? Are we still on our way? How do we know we're even headed anywhere? Might we have reached the destination already? Woud we ever know when we did get there? Or are all of these questions the inevitable result of brains that might be too powerful for their own good?
Maybe these, too, are unanswerable questions. But regardless, I shall proceed. For enprisoned though we may be in this cosmic realm of time, we are all "locked toward the future." And fundamental to the growth of each and every one of us is the quest to become who we're meant to become. To be as fully human as possible, which I'm positing here as the prime concern of this individual post and beyond, the prize we seek is not one that we're destined to behold. Just the opposite -- it is something we have to work for. After all, we're talking about the ultimate of all treasures. There is a job that must be done. There are tasks that much be accomplished. Trials and tribulations await us. Initiative and action are required. Indeed, if we're to delve into the darkness and return with the light, our full capacties and best qualities are demanded of us. The proces of fully becoming is anything but easy.
Each and every day, whether we choose to recognize them or not, these challenges are before us. And for the most part, these challenges are deviously subtle and easy to overlook. While sitting at the computer, for instance, are we to be ruled by the comfort-seeking animal within us and succumb to the slouched back? Or will be able to tap into the human stores of power and muster the strength and discipline to sit up straight?
Or, say you're slumming by yourself at the local bar during the first rocky patches of an otherwise great marriage. When a cute townie girl starts laying down the flirt, are you going to be ruled by the sex-seeking animal urges within? Or can you summon the deeper human-based restraint and stick to the course?
Or, when eating that awesome meal, are you going to give in to your inner pig and stuff it all down without stopping to breathe? Or can you enjoy that meal like a human, maybe put your fork down between bites, taking an occasional moment to enjoy what it is you're doing?
And for the grand-daddy of them all -- its late at night and you're on the couch, about to go to bed. "One more minute," you tell yourself, flipping through the channels. Deep down, of course, you know you're full of it. Is this what we're destined for?
These are the kind of battles that I'm talking about. All day, every day the challenges are right in front of us. Are we going to give in to what is easy, what is quick, and what is convenient? Are we going to be a slave to our primal and biological animal urges? Or can we walk the human path, take a step back, and take a moment to fully assess what is going on? Are we going to become something, as we deep-down know we're capable of? Or are are we to go on being a slave to the animal bondage we're unable to cast off?
In the second volume of the great film Kill Bill, we are blessed enough to bear witness to Quentin Tarantino's first cinematic "training scene." Under the cruel tutelage of Pai Mei, The Bride's (Uma Thurman's) limits are thoroughly tested. We see her continuously punching thick boards of brittle wood, carrying heavy buckets water of hundreds of steps, and being rigorously trained in kung fu under the hot Asian sun. Yet all of these tasks -- physically demanding though they may be -- are overlooked when it comes to the climax of the sequence.
For the true test comes in a bowl of white rice. Being clearly bruised, battered, and beat up to hell, The Bride finds herself unable to pick up any rice with her chopsticks. Being deeply exhausted and certainly hungry, she gives the chopsticks up and resorts to eating with her hands. Pai Mei scolds her, knocking her prescious bowl of rice across the room. "If you want to eat like a dog, you can live and sleep outside like a dog. If you want to live and sleep like a human, pick up those sticks!" Here we have the above illustrated point exactly.
In this quest to become fully human, the road is often difficult and full of pain. And as dedicated and serious as we all may be, there is not a single one of us who is beyond giving up when faced with a seemingly impossible task. But we must dig down deep and listen to that Pai Mei inside of us, for we all know he speaks the truth.
When wieghed down at times like these, we can give up on the chop-sticks. We can settle for the animal life that got us here. We can expect nothing more of ourselves. Or, we can look within, refuse to quit, push onward and become the person we're capable of becoming. Of course, ain't none of us perfect. Laziness can certain be worth succumbing to on occasion. The couch will slay us all, from time to time. But such defeats are not the end of us. "It is okay to lose to opponent," Mr. Miagi's infinite wisdom tells us, "but it is not okay to lose to fear!" Indeed, the real foe lies within us. The road is certainly not an easy one, but the treasure is out there and waiting for us.
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