Paradox

The most beautiful thing in the world is space. Space is the defining characteristic of every successful relationship. In the moment we’re aware of space, the mind goes, “Ahhhh.” And sinks into subservience.

Impatience

Impatience is an intolerance of what is spurred by a desire for what isn’t. The man who is chronically impatient lives with the talons of “What’s next?” sunk deep into his upper back.

Have nothing

This is a hard sell in a culture where the answer to every problem is more. But consider: Our basic biological needs are few, modest and easily met. If we have more than we need, we have too much. Craving sensory stimulation, we chase more and better experiences—more of what we don’t need. Craving is slaving. Every form of wanting, every anticipation, alienates us from the beauty and power of the inexhaustible now. Jesus to the cultivated rich kid: “Sell everything, give it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven.” Which is nowhere other than now.

Life

We do not make it happen. We are to whom it happens. We are not actors. We are the the acted upon. The truth is what surprises us, what we did not foresee.

What’s next?

Men who haul their bodies from this place to that place tend to be more interested in their experiences than they are in themselves.