Tuesday, February 05, 2008

On the way home on the train today, it was rammed as usual.
Every seat taken.
Me in one.
All around were standing bodies.
Pressing up against each other - reluctantly.
Every one knowing every stop on the line.
Sleeping humans
iPod humans
Sleeping humans
Reading humans
Expressionless humans.
Silent humans.

I was listening to BenjiB who shares his great vibes via BBC 1Xtra radio programme.
I listened to the programme - 2 hours in - 2 hours out.
I want to repeat play - forever.

In the midst of this crowd I open my book.
I picked it up as I left this morning 2/3rds asleep.
It was one of the zillions I have on the go.
It was Viktor Frankl "Man's Search For Meaning" - I started to read it 7 7 07.

After three pages I have to close it and handle the depth stimulation.
He was writing about the experiences in the Concentration Camp.
His preoccupation with finding a new piece of wire to 'lace' his shoes together.
The tears of pain as he walked with torn shoes.
Would there be any food after a long day of slave labour.
Should he trade his last cigarette for a piece of bread.

He was aware that the prisoners who lost faith in the future - were doomed.
Living on past memories were fatal.
So his imagination took him to a place in the future.
A place where he was delivering a psychology lecture to a great audience of students.
All in comfortable seats and keen to learn.
His subject was 'The psychology of a concentration camp'.
He was firmly in the future - firmly in the positive.
He ended with a fab Quote::
"Emotion, which is suffering, ceases to be suffering as soon as we form a clear and precise picture of it"


Stinking wow - I wrote on the page.

I thought about it as the train swayed and juddered.
Then I thought - how do I apply it?

I started thinking about getting home - rather than the rammed carriage.
Getting in with the salad I had bought at M&S, and sitting down enjoying it.
Joan is away so I am busking the food - a cold pasta/chicken/pine nuts salad hmmmmm
Then getting home NOT to watch football on TV.
Cuddling Zig on my knee.
Eating the chocolate desert which I won't tell Joan about.
Lighting the fire and seeing Zig strike his sexy pose for me, on the rug - on his back.

It was true - I escaped the concentration camp rail carriage hmmmmmmm


How could you apply this?
What emotion, which causes some pain, be managed by concentrating on the future?
Which of the Blobs ,on the illustration, is you right now - feelings - emotion?
(Always click a pic to enlarge)




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