in a world and an era addicted to instantaneous results and satisfaction, one hears much noise without the chance to really listen, one speaks of countless things without the time to fully comprehend, one glances through unlimited information without true knowledge, one searches for happiness without any idea what it really means
clouds of leisure, cranes of wildBack to journal index
by Zhang Zhang
http://www.zhangzhang.com/journalentry.aspx?num=320
闲云野鹤
An ancient poetic expression first appearing in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, nearly one thousand years ago…
Cloud of leisure, Cranes of wild, the poet created a beautiful image to describe the ultimate freedom
Roaming at liberty like a cloud with no particular destination, accompanied by the wild cranes, open sky, open land, open water with an open mind
in a world and an era addicted to instantaneous results and satisfaction, one hears much noise without the chance to really listen, one speaks of countless things without the time to fully comprehend, one glances through unlimited information without true knowledge, one searches for happiness without any idea what it really means
it is an era of possesion,
obsessive, oppressive, frustrating, fearful, anguished, lost,
so many of us believes we must own to be truly fulfilled, as if gaining possession of goods, of control, of specific persons would lead to peace and guarantee safety
this frenzied quest for possession only generates more fear, more panic, more hunger and more sadness
driven mad with greed, the greed for power, for money, for what you believe to be love…in the end, there is nothing but fear, fear of losing what you believe you have gained, fear of never possessing what you believe you must obtain, fear of the endless emptiness that is within yourself, fear of the solitude that is the source of strength but only to those who are unafraid of the dark, nor of silence and the necessary loneliness that comes before true understanding of the Self, and eventually life
the most important difference between a true artist and a non artistic soul is the fact that the artists continue to seek within oneself, that infinite wildness which is echoed also in nature, whereas the anti-artist will perpetually attempt to flee their own nature, trying to hide and obtain protection away from the truly magnificent, which is potentially within each being, if one is not afraid to look and listen.
Tortured and sordid are the reality of those unable and un-willing to comprehend that real peace comes from being able to face one self, alone, in the mirror, in the dreams and in the world. And authentic happiness has no monetary price nor does it come with the chaining up of another individual.
true freedom has no walls nor roof,
clouds of leisure and cranes of wild, in an infinitely open sky