Yesterday, I was writing about feeling like there is a possibility to tap into some universal knowledge if only I could just let go. Today, I have been contemplating the idea more.
First, I realized that it is very difficult to do. I have a pulled muscle in my back. Every time I move, I get a pain that feels like I have broken the ribs on my right side. That wouldn’t be so bad, except it is keeping my mind very much in the present and in the physical realm. I don’t feel like contemplating the mysteries of the universe when all I am thinking about is the pain in my right side.
Second, I realized that it’s a combination of forces coming together. When I find myself working on artistic pursuits such as my fiction writing, I feel like I am closer to reaching that universal knowledge than at any other time. Sometimes when I am writing, it feels like the words and ideas are just flowing through me. I’m not sure how it works, but I think when there’s something special about artistic work. We don’t do it to survive exactly. It doesn’t meet our immediate need for food, drink or shelter, but there’s something within us as a human race that creates art in many different forms. I could be wrong, but I believe we do it because we want to feel connected to each other and to our creator. I think for the artist the very act of creating the art can produce this feeling. Then, by sharing that work of art with others, all of us get to feel that we aren’t alone. We somehow understand that there is a universality in the human experience. It’s an amazing gift from God.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
