"There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle." - -ALBERT EINSTEIN
Perhaps this statement could also read:
There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is essential.
The other is as though everything is essential.
In math terms, the concept of absolute value based on a number line is viewed as the distance from zero. Absolute value is never negative; absolute value only tells "how far." It doesn't define "in which direction." This means that the absolute value of +3 = 3, because 3 is three units to the right of zero, and also the absolute value of –3 = 3, because –3 is three units to the left of zero. Zero is identified as a perfect circle -- O. By design, it has no beginning and no end. It is the point from which all other measurements begin.
I imagine the positive times in my life (gain, blessings) to the right of zero, and the negative times (loss, challenges) to the left of zero. But no matter which direction, positive or negative, everything in my life, exactly as it is, contributes with its absolute value in shaping my soul.
I believe everything is a miracle. Everything is essential. Everything has absolute value.
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""You have been to hell, Ketut?"
ReplyDeleteHe smiled. Of course he's been there.
"What's it like in hell?"
"Same like in heaven," he said.
He saw my confusion and tried to explain. "Universe is a circle, Liss."
He said. "To up, to down -- all same, at end."
I remembered an old Christian mystic notion: As above, so below.
I asked. "Then how can you tell the difference between heaven and hell?"
"Because of how you go. Heaven, you go up, through seven happy places. Hell, you go down, through seven sad places. This is why it better for you to go up, Liss." He laughed.
"Same-same," he said. "Same in end, so better to be happy in journey."
I said, "So, if heaven is love, then hell is.. "
"Love, too," he said.
Ketut laughed again, "Always so difficult for young people to understand this!""
— Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)
Interesting that you were posting your thought when I was preparing to blog about the above book. Within the same few weeks.
Hi Adam,
ReplyDeleteI just found your comment. I love Elizabeth's book, "Eat, Pray, Love". This particular quote flies so in the face of tradition and is no doubt offensive to those who have yet to discover the fullness of Grace. It was with some trepidation that I came to embrace the understanding that God is in it all and that nothing is beyond his reach. Though I still lack wisdom, I am learning to walk in a deeper faith that God is in control of all things.
Looking forward to reading your blog about the book. :)