On the spirit of adventure and of hope - of dreaming for the future..

Hi ATS,

I watched a documentary on Netflix yesterday, named 'The Deepest Breath'. It literally brought me to tears, several times, for complex reasons which are partly universal, and partly personal. I would highly recommend that all of you watch it if possible, it's extremely poignant, and very inspiring. There's a lot of junk on Netflix, and God knows I waste enough of my time watching it - but this was different, a truly special piece of filmmaking. It tells the story of a pair of freedivers, and the sport of freediving in general - an extreme sport so deadly that it is not at all uncommon for participants to die, or almost die, routinely in fact. It involves diving down in the ocean to depths up to a hundred metres or more, and back up to the surface, on a single breath of air in one's lungs. It's ridiculously perilous, but the motivations, and the experiences of those who participate, are 'breathtaking', for want of a better word.

As I watched, I imagined the deep silence of the deep waters, and thought how comparable it must be to be engrossed in prayerful repose in some ancient temple, in pure stillness, pure silence, temporarily removed from the world of Man, entering & dwelling in the interdimensional aether between here & Heaven itself. I won't give away more of how the documentary progresses, but I found myself moved by their passion for the sport, for the sheer beauty & stillness of the world they experience beneath the waves.

One of the pair featured in the documentary was practically a nomad for most of his life, journeying alone throughout some sketchy parts of Africa, seeing great dangers but also great wonders. His travels inspired in me a longing which I don't believe we English speakers necessarily possess a word sufficiently emphatic to describe its sensation, though I expect the Germans probably have a phenomenal word to get at the heart of what I felt. It was a sense of nostalgia, and hope, and loss, and heartbreak - I'm disabled & cannot freely move about the world as this man did in such an inspirational way - but his travels, his spirit, and then the passion & dedication, the drive to reach for the stars embodied by the lady who he was deeply connected with through the world of freediving, brought me into that place of deep longing that I could have lived a different life, unencumbered by pain & a lack of mobility, which I suffer daily. In comparison, my world is a box, a little box of a room in which my only escape is through the lens of the TV, or through the portal of the world wide web. Generally speaking I can't complain - I have many blessings in my life to counterbalance the limitations - a wife who loves & supports me, children who are making me proud day by day, and my general circumstances are okay.

All of this deep emotion got me pondering the bizarre pastiche that this world has become, with our advanced civilisation in which so much travel & adventure is possible, so many activities, hobbies, sports that can enrich our lives - and yet so many people throughout all nations of the world who will never live to see dreams or adventure fulfilled in their own existence, temporary & short as our lives are here on this Earth. What then can we say about our purpose, our visions & hopes for our lives, if they are so brutally crushed with no opportunity for whatever financial, circumstantial or health reasons may encumber us..? Where is our purpose, the enrichment of our existence - is there any hope at all that any of us will ever see the glories that are possible, such as when the stars align to give certain people the circumstances, genetic/ health-related potential, qualities of character (etc) to enable these powerful dreams to be realised..?

I find myself looking to my faith, to the promises that are laid out in the scripture. If we live in a manner that is righteous, if we accede to the possibility of a divine Creator who formed us in our mother's womb, who loves us & has appointed us for the exact circumstances we shall occupy in this world - if we hold to a sense & practice of justice in our lives & communities, if we value & express mercy & compassion in our dealings with others - perhaps if we pray, if we submit to God in our day to day lives & accept our lot, walking humbly before Him... If that be so, then no matter our limitations, we can rest assured that there is a promise of a life beyond this one, in a world even more beautiful than the wonders we are blessed with here on Earth.

Indeed, we are promised:

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Psalm 16: 11

And with this, I think of the fortunate ones who are able to express their adventurous side, to pursue their passion with all dedication & skill, and an eartly expression of the 'fullness of joy'. I believe that those of us in this world who are blessed & favoured such that we can live a life in which we touch the glories of Heaven on Earth, are destined to be the shooting stars who blaze with light, inspiring & comforting those who are less able, because those who are less able should look on those who are able with all joy & favour, not with envy - knowing that their's is the light in this world, but they are living in ways that inspire us for the next world, in which we can ascend to the same heights, thanking them even for the example they set.

I hope that any who read these words who are blessed to be 'living their best life' will pause & comprehend the magnitude of their commission - you are living not only to inspire the next generation, but also to encourage those of us who are unable to pursue the same joys & fulfilment in this life, thereby giving comfort knowing that God promises these gifts for all of us, in the world to come, if not in this world.

I guess that's about all I have to say on that matter, I hope it's an encouragement, I hope it causes people to think on their gifts & blessings, and perhaps arrange their lives to emphasise the power of their capabilities in somehow inspiring others & maybe even supporting those less fortunate than themselves in practical ways too, to honour the dreams & hopes of those who are for whatever reason incapable of living out their life's love in the present world, who may need some practical & emotional support to fight through days & weeks & months & years which are perhaps too difficult to imagine, in some cases.

To the spirit of adventure, of hope, of dreaming for the future, cresting the waves of Heaven's oceans & diving deep into the wonders & mystery of the Creation itself, and the life of the Creator, His presence, in as much as we are all able to do.

Cheers,


FITO.

When a negative has hit me unexpectedly in life I do my best to take it and try to make something positive. A disability is something with the will power, one might dream, but for some they just pick themselves up and do it. ( of course there are limitations to which a handicap person can do )

Thanks for posting.

a reply to: FlyInTheOintment

My wife made me watch this movie, I’m very happy that she did. My emotions were all over the place, and it made me reflect on my own life. I don’t want to spoil this one for anybody, so all I can say is that it is a must see.

Here ya go folks.....

a reply to: FlyInTheOintment

Gently focus on something white for a few hours everyday and as you go to sleep do the same focusing but between your eyes without using your eyes to look there... There is no limit to this looking within once the practice matures.

It's hard to be a lamb when you have the mind of a serpent, the Spirit of our Lord can help with that but alas the fool in some of us persists.

a reply to: Cwantas

Nah man thats YOUR lord

originally posted by: Crowfoot
a reply to: Cwantas

Nah man thats YOUR lord

Bit random and creepy.

a reply to: CwantasIf that's what your lord is like... C'est la vie.

originally posted by: Crowfoot
a reply to: CwantasIf that's what your lord is like... C'est la vie.

Your creepy and obsessive I see.

a reply to: Cwantas

There wasn't any Jesus except in a Jewish concept that they are still waiting on; The person those tired of waiting chose as their Jesus was Esau that the Jews already said they weren't looking for in their investigation.

Whats more annoying is creating a concept that no matter what you do it's OK as cause and effect do not exist whether good or bad that this conceptual being will forgive you of all of it.

If you haven't noticed people do that anyway whether there is a conceptual being for it or not.

It's very annoying when history is just flushed right down the drain that speaks the truth of the people in those situations... I can understand the clinging to the mental conceptual construct that absolves any guilt no matter how deep... But for all of those seeking justice what are they supposed to do; Other than wait just like the Jews are and have doing...

Hence the cycle or circle in which all of that falls with the Christ concept, The anti-Christ concept and the; you have chosen poorly concept as patience is a virtue and not waiting hasn't ever displayed it. To go further there are many that only accept the Old Testament but it is never heard that they are Anti-Christ as the concept of him only appears in the New Testament other than previously mentioned a Jewish concept that has yet to arrive/be born among men.

I am not sure why the monad of an individual makes an individual blind that they are a demiurge and their devotion to the monad makes them blind to being a creator in union with the monad as one... aka the trinity where no one else under such an influence can hear anything, see anything, smell anything, taste anything, feel anything or even think anything; outside of that triad of the monad the demiurge and their creation.

The paragraph above is the root of all religions.