Rainer Maria Rilke 399 words, 207K views, 31 comments
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On May 30, 2011Kate wrote :
Thank you Viral!
I have had a quote from this passage on the fridge for years - familiar as it may be, when I read it, it doesn't fail to hit me like a jokester/fool/coyote! :) Reminding me of something my head does not want to believe or go along with. Even so, some thread of truth seems to make it into my system and resonate - even if it's just an "I know, I know!" - and I often feel my shoulders drop and a big or faint amount of relief.
I was excited to read it today - because I was wondering over the weekend, can curiosity be a substitute for intention?
I was reading a passage in "Callings" by G. Levoy (p. 150 on "The Burning Questions") about curiosity and Big Questions - and realized that sometimes it is easier for me to be curious about something, than it is to set a clear (and committed!) intention. Asking if I can be curious about something, somehow feels different. Can I be curious about the unknown (and, about the uncomfortable known)? Is that enough? I am more in a habit of asking if I can set an intention to get through something, to be open, compassionate. Is that too controlling, or does that get me engaged, not avoiding things, if I bring intention/commitment into the picture? Curiosity feels like a sister of intention...lighter, though.
I wonder where the line can be drawn, between the two - intention and curiosity? I see the merits of both. Maybe they're not too far distant, relatives?? Sister skills?
I am curious (no pun intended!) what others would think about this?
On May 30, 2011 Kate wrote :
Thank you Viral!
I have had a quote from this passage on the fridge for years - familiar as it may be, when I read it, it doesn't fail to hit me like a jokester/fool/coyote! :) Reminding me of something my head does not want to believe or go along with. Even so, some thread of truth seems to make it into my system and resonate - even if it's just an "I know, I know!" - and I often feel my shoulders drop and a big or faint amount of relief.
I was excited to read it today - because I was wondering over the weekend, can curiosity be a substitute for intention?
I was reading a passage in "Callings" by G. Levoy (p. 150 on "The Burning Questions") about curiosity and Big Questions - and realized that sometimes it is easier for me to be curious about something, than it is to set a clear (and committed!) intention. Asking if I can be curious about something, somehow feels different. Can I be curious about the unknown (and, about the uncomfortable known)? Is that enough? I am more in a habit of asking if I can set an intention to get through something, to be open, compassionate. Is that too controlling, or does that get me engaged, not avoiding things, if I bring intention/commitment into the picture? Curiosity feels like a sister of intention...lighter, though.
I wonder where the line can be drawn, between the two - intention and curiosity? I see the merits of both. Maybe they're not too far distant, relatives?? Sister skills?
I am curious (no pun intended!) what others would think about this?
Love and thanks, Kate