Ignorance is bliss they say. Is it really? Certainly, what we don't care about can't disappoint us. Suffering never occurs when we lose something we don't care about. On the other hand, awareness and care are closely related. Whatever we don't care about slips from awareness. The less we care, the less we are aware. What then, becomes the point of living? Caring is consciousness; consciousness is life

How can we be conscious and care on one hand, yet alleviate our suffering on the other? There is a fine line here to be sure. I've found it is possible to care deeply about something - anything - everything, yet avoid much of the suffering aspect by not caring about 'outcomes' - all of which exist in a future moment. The concern, the caring, about outcomes is really the source of the suffering. Taking it personally and pushing our private ends sow the seeds of our suffering. To knows contentment, we must care not to care. This sounds like desiring not to desire, eh?

I've been fascinated by the easy/difficult nature of this issue for a long time. It is like the problem we humans have with alcohol, or anything else really. We don't know when to stop. We are all 'drunks', and like drunks we must hit rock bottom before we see ourselves honestly enough to live a more straightforward life. But, this is not like flipping on an enlightenment switch and living 'happily ever after'. No, like a drunk's 'awakening', we must always be aware that we're drunks in order to watch life play itself out moment to moment. Only then are we able to maintain a situation [life] while it is still secure.

Like a drunk, we must truly want to be sober to live life as it is, and not as we desire it to be. It boils down to having one deep desire, like desiring not to be full, which overrides all others. All the other desires can be summed as a 'the grass is greener over yonder than it is here' illusion. It is curious how universal human addiction / obsession is, from drugs, alcohol, food,... up to ___ (you name it)___. We all face the same problem; we just don't admit it. Hitting bottom is the only thing that resolves it.

And hitting bottom is what makes it easy! Maturity increases with awareness, awareness increases with maturity. But, with awareness come greater caring. Greater caring brings deeper suffering. Thus, the only way to maintain 'sanity' as awareness deepens is by caring not to care, which is nothing more than desiring not to desire. Because there is no other way to deal with 'it', holding fast to the way of antiquity becomes the easiest way.

And when we fall off the wagon? No problems, we can just hop back on board! Or as we say in 'Taoville', be worn and yet newly made