There is no Fault, We're in this Together

You are here, now.

No matter where you are, no matter what you might sense... hear, see, smell, feel, taste... you are here, now, at this moment.

And, more likely than not, you are a part of civilization.

Why are you here?

You are here because of a series of events, from the beginning of time until now, or at least, so it seems.  You were inevitable.  Now, your history is something different.  It is not the reason you are here, rather, it is the story of how you got here.  For example, at some point, your biological mother became pregnant, and this is often considered the beginning of the story.  But, you are not just any human, you are you, and what made you who you are is really two parts: the contents of that single sperm and single ova, and after they combined, everything that surrounded you, and how you responded and were changed by it.

And, now you are here, reading, or maybe listening, to this.  And I, of course, the result of a similar but different series of events, am here, now, writing this, which you now read: one mind attempting to create a thought, feeling, impression in another.

But why, what is my motivation?  I can only share what I think my motivation is, and only those thoughts that I can push myself to share.  I dream of being known, or remembered, or at least noticed, and this writing is an attempt to feel like something of my mind and thoughts will be shared.

There is a person who I see, from time to time.  He is old.  He is alone.  He waits for a bus, or a car, or time to pass.  I see him as I travel, passing him on the same spot every few days.  He stands, he waits, and on a rare occasion, I see him walking, slowly, with a cane, from where he is, to where he stands.

This person is like you in so many ways.  And, so are we all.  And occasionally, I see it and feel it, that here we all are, you are alone, I am alone, we all are alone, and in that way, we are all alike, and all together.  We all are living, in this moment, in this now; and we all have a past, which has made us, which has shaped us, which has got us to the now.  And, we are all moving forward in time, towards the unknown, and the inevitable.  We each have a body, and in that way, we are again so similar.  Skin, lungs, heart, brain, all of it, and we wonder, perhaps rarely, perhaps on occasion, how long do we have? Is there something after? If not, what does it mean to be here now? What should I be doing? What am I doing, and why?

We are all the same in so many ways, that from a distance, and even up close, we really are the same.  After all, we are all the results of billions of years of successes, to make us alive... animal... human.  Our bodies work the same, our minds work the same, these thoughts, however they work, they work the same.  We are separate, and yet, we have more in common that we often realize, recognize, or acknowledge.

A few things I would like to share... thoughts, observations, reflections... words:

It is not your fault.  No matter what it is.  No matter where it was, no matter when it was, it was not your fault.  There is no fault.  It happened, and it was inevitable.  There is nothing you could have done to have changed it.  There is nothing that needed to be done.  There is no need to dwell on it, worry about it, demean yourself about it.  It was not your fault, and not my fault, and not anyone's fault. It happened.

Is it your fault that the world turns?  Is it your fault that the sun shines?  It is an illusion of control we all have, and that illusion might make it feel like something is our fault... and yet, it is only illusion.

When thinking of others, it is not their fault either, no matter what happened, no matter how... upsetting, annoying, irritating, angering, maddening, terrible, horrible... no matter what it was... it was not their fault.  It happened, yes.  And, there will be consequences, results, ramifications, etc. but it was not their fault, or my fault, or your fault, or anyone's fault.

Does that mean that you are not responsible for your own actions?  Yes and no.  You are not responsible, and yet you will still feel responsible, at least part of the time... and others, most others, most of the time, will still respond to you, and whether you are responsible or not, the results of your actions will occur, as they always were destined to.  So, even if you are not responsible for your actions, you still face the consequences of them, and knowing that is what has made you avoid the most unpleasant consequences... or perhaps at least some of them.  You are alive, after all, you must have avoided death any number of times... every moment of every day, really.

You are invited to ponder this.  We are all the same.  None of us is at fault, and none are responsible.  And yet, we all face the consequences of our actions.

I find myself thinking of this when I see others.  When feelings and thoughts rise, I remember that it isn't their fault.  I don't need to be rude to them.  I don't need to be angry at them.  I can treat them with kindness, with love, and know that doing that is okay, and remember that we are all the same.

And, more than that, more than just all being human, now, at this time, on this planet, in this spot in space... but that we are all trapped, captives of, parts of, cells within this civilization... which is NOT something that any of us is biologically or evolutionarily adapted to.  This civilization is so new, in the big picture of things, that it is, to a greater or lesser extent, a strain on all of us, because it is NOT normal, and it is NOT natural, and there is no reason to expect that we will find it to be so.

I wish you the best.  Yes, it was inevitable that I would with that, and inevitable that I would feel that desire, and I wish it to you all the same.  We are all in this together.  Stay strong.  Chin up if you can.  Smile when you can.  Be amazed at life, and wonder about why things are the way they are, and why people do what they do, and realize that there is no fault, no blame, no choice... other than what you allow yourself to believe.  Wonder, ponder, live on.