Echoes of Nothingness

When I consider the weirdest of all things I can think of, do you know what it is? Nothing. The whole idea of nothing is something that has bugged people for centuries, especially in the Western world. We have a saying in Latin, Ex nihilo nihil fit, which means, "Out of nothing comes nothing." In other words, you can't get something out of nothing. It's occurred to me that this is a fallacy of tremendous proportions. It lies at the root of all our common sense, not only in the West, but in many parts of the East as well. It manifests as a kind of terror of nothing, a putdown on nothing, a putdown on everything associated with nothing such as sleep, passivity, rest, and even the feminine principle which is often equated with the negative principle (although women's lib people don't like that kind of thing, when they understand what I'm saying I don't think they'll object). To me, nothing—the negative, the empty—is exceedingly powerful. I would say, not Ex nihilo nihil fit, but, "You can't have something without nothing." ~ excerpt from Nothingness by Alan Watts

I am having a quasi moment of nothingness of sorts. Since I just recently finished night school, I have all my nights free right now. Then my daughter and her little family moved out. So my small apartment seems like a huge landscape. It’s so empty the hallway bathroom echoes. Jungle boy gets a kick out of it by screaming into it anytime he walks by. Which takes me to spring break and Jungle boy taking off with his Dad. Not having his tremendous force of energy here equates to even more nothingness.

Of course there is still my special one here and the cats. As a gentle reminder that there truly is never complete nothingness. I had that conversation once where I was informed by someone who lived alone and lived a rather solitary lifestyle, that people take things and collect them into their life because they can’t stand the nothingness and can’t stand to face themselves. So they pile people, pets, hobbies, social engagements, jobs etc into their life as collection pieces to focus on. Rather than facing themselves. The nothingness.

On the other hand, I have met enough people who insist on that form of meditation that empties out everything. Whatever that means. Seeking the nothingness. Which is themselves. I prefer that sort of meditation that is suggested by Thich Nhat Hanh and Eckhart Tolle, and I’m sure others out there. Which is being present in the all surrounding “somethingness” of life. All the things I bring into my conscious field of observation. Staying with that somethingness as it passes through my life. No matter if it feels pleasant or unpleasant.

“..Another thing that goes along with all this is that it's perfectly obvious that the universe is a system which is aware of itself. In other words, we, as living organisms, are forms of the energy of the universe just as much as the stars and the galaxies, and, through our sense organs, this system of energy becomes aware of itself…”~Alan Watts

The way I understand it is, that I only experience life through the somethingness I create with from my nothingness. Sort of taking it back to the if a tree falls in the woods, does it hear itself fall. My existence, my own nothingness, can only be experienced in the presence of the somethingness my consciousness brings into focus.

With that I also understand that the temporary nothingness, the emptying of the somethingness surrounding me, is only happening to allow room for other somethingness to enter into my awareness. Soon enough I will have more things and people to fill the spaces and silence the echo of my nothingness. Allowing me to experience myself in new ways of being.

http://mysticson.blogspot.com/2009/08/nothingness-by-alan-watts.html