Tick tock, life is short.
Yesterday I was talking w Ratna about shit. I’m going to India at the end of this year and that reminded me of my last trip there almost 2 years ago, when we were walking in an alley.
It’s kind of like a back alley of somewhere. A restaurant. Pretty narrow pathway, maybe for two or three to walk abreast. And it was littered with shit. If “littered” is the right word to use here. Because I don’t think it’s resultant of the same action as littering other kinds of litter. Shit, shit everywhere. It was dusk and the darkening sky reminded us to turn on our torch and shine where we are walking and to side step the piles of shit. Was it dog shit, cow shit, or human shit we didn't know because all of the above being shit. It could be any and shit is shit and we won’t wanna step on them or get any of it on our bodies or shoe or whatever. So avoid, avoid, avoid, and side-step, side-step, side-step.
I could get really frustrated that the place was badly managed and why nobody clean up the shit and why is there shit all over in the first place. But. Everything shits and i’m just a tourist and who am I to change anything I don’t live there it don’t belong to me i’m just passing through I don’t want it to belong to me either no thank you.
Ratna was oh like that’s so evil. But it’s not evil, shit is shit, shit is not evil. I shit you shit we all shit. The dog and cow and us human are not evil for shitting. Shit isn't evil.
It’s just that I come from a world a culture where shitting in toilet bowls and flushing them away is the norm. And shit is dirty to me. And I don’t wanna touch it even with my shoe, and definitely not my hand or what. So that’s us. And in a way that I see it (because of my culture) it’s privileged.
So happens that i’m going to India again end of this year. That’s why I thought about India and the shit.
But the real point is this. That shit on the streets is like people's bad vibes. The talk was analogous of people vomitting their bad vibes everywhere. So in some environment, like a toxic on, there’s just bad vibes all over the place. In this situation, I dont have to do anything but to avoid, avoid, avoid and try not to get any on any part of my body. Much less to put it in my bag and bring home. Or whatever. Some times people fling shit in my direction and I gotta avoid it like the matrix keanu reeves stunt when kena fired bullets. Or like be in some kungfu movie qinggong fly away from that situation.
Don’t engage in shit flinging back cos then I will get more shit on my hand and whatever whatever aggravating the aggressor. If I get any shit just get away fast minimise further contact don’t stir don't rub just get away then and wash it off asap.
Wash where. Wash it in nature maybe. Go to a park and see some plants. Or somewhere that is quite quiet, like a museum or a library. And observe something beautiful and refreshing. Or eat some fruits, juicy and cool. Until I internalise this ability to have an internal tap or something easy. And also
Side stepping shit and bad vibes is a life skill. Be vigilant!
Postscript to shit talk: updated with ratna on this, that when others shit talk us, we should pour some zen in their direction to make them stop. people who say “why you look so happy?” just to kill your good vibe, deserves a reminder, “why not? life is short.” or at least to be called out, like “yo why you trying to kill my vibe. life is short man.”
We need to prepare some lines to put out the shit that some people spit out from their mouths man!
Not to fling any shit bad, but like, like an umbrella or a water hose to get rid of this shit spray.
“Well, to each his own.”
Tick tock, life is short.