Slave to the I Ching
Do you know what the I Ching is? It's an extremly old form of divination from China. I've tried many forms of divination, and they've all shown themself to be false, except for the I Ching. The I Ching has proven to me, over and over again, that it is accurate and reliable. Hence, over the years I've become a total slave to the I Ching, making no major decisions without first consulting it. I don't always do what it says is the best idea, but I almost always consult it. When I don't, then I tend to make extremly bad decisions that send me down inappropriate and unsatisfying paths (and as you know, being intellectually satisfied is one of the few things that I really want).
A few nights ago I got an extremly interesting reading. I was feeling angsty about my life, and so I was asking things like "what if I devoted my life to...(fill in the blank)". First I was like "What if I devoted my life to doing domestic, househusbandy things like cooking, cleaning, etc ?" And the I Ching was like "That'll be fun for a little while, but you're gonna get bored and stagnant feeling really quickly," and I was like "yeah, I knew that already, actually." So then I was like "What if I devoted myself to writing, and becoming a better writer?" and the I Ching was like "That would be a turbulent and emotional thing for you to do, but if you start out small, then eventually you'll be in a position in which you'll have a little bit of influence in the world." I was like "whatever; having influence is the last thing I want from life."
This was getting frustrating, so I decided to take a more direct approach. I said "Okay then, I Ching, what is the purpose of my life? What should I be devoting my life to?" And guess what I got? I got the EXACT same hexagram that I got for my question about devoting myself to writing! I mean, the EXACT same one, with the same changing line and future hexagram and everything (for those who are interested, I got hexagram 29 with 9 in the second place). Do you know what the odds are of that? Well, I'll tell you, it's pretty unlikely. It's not like picking a card, where you can put the card back, and then just subconsciously reach in and pick the same card over again, because you remembered where you just put it, or remembered some small scratch on the back of that card. Getting an I Ching hexagram is a much more complicated process, that's much harder to control subconsciously. (if you want to know more, this website may be able to help you: http://www.littlestcat.com/iching . But be aware that the interpretaions of the hexagrams on that site are really lame. The interpretation I use at home it the Wilhelm [or is that Wilheim?] one, which is considered to be the best English translation available).
So, all I want is to be happy, healthy, and intellectually satisfied; and I should devote my life to writing and becoming a better writer. There. I have my instructions. That should keep me satiated for awhile, keep me from freaking out about the meaningless of things.
And really, because of this I'm even more of a slave to the I Ching now than I ever was before, for it has given me answers that appear meaningful to me, and make my life seem worthwhile. Beat that, Science and Rationality!
A few nights ago I got an extremly interesting reading. I was feeling angsty about my life, and so I was asking things like "what if I devoted my life to...(fill in the blank)". First I was like "What if I devoted my life to doing domestic, househusbandy things like cooking, cleaning, etc ?" And the I Ching was like "That'll be fun for a little while, but you're gonna get bored and stagnant feeling really quickly," and I was like "yeah, I knew that already, actually." So then I was like "What if I devoted myself to writing, and becoming a better writer?" and the I Ching was like "That would be a turbulent and emotional thing for you to do, but if you start out small, then eventually you'll be in a position in which you'll have a little bit of influence in the world." I was like "whatever; having influence is the last thing I want from life."
This was getting frustrating, so I decided to take a more direct approach. I said "Okay then, I Ching, what is the purpose of my life? What should I be devoting my life to?" And guess what I got? I got the EXACT same hexagram that I got for my question about devoting myself to writing! I mean, the EXACT same one, with the same changing line and future hexagram and everything (for those who are interested, I got hexagram 29 with 9 in the second place). Do you know what the odds are of that? Well, I'll tell you, it's pretty unlikely. It's not like picking a card, where you can put the card back, and then just subconsciously reach in and pick the same card over again, because you remembered where you just put it, or remembered some small scratch on the back of that card. Getting an I Ching hexagram is a much more complicated process, that's much harder to control subconsciously. (if you want to know more, this website may be able to help you: http://www.littlestcat.com/iching . But be aware that the interpretaions of the hexagrams on that site are really lame. The interpretation I use at home it the Wilhelm [or is that Wilheim?] one, which is considered to be the best English translation available).
So, all I want is to be happy, healthy, and intellectually satisfied; and I should devote my life to writing and becoming a better writer. There. I have my instructions. That should keep me satiated for awhile, keep me from freaking out about the meaningless of things.
And really, because of this I'm even more of a slave to the I Ching now than I ever was before, for it has given me answers that appear meaningful to me, and make my life seem worthwhile. Beat that, Science and Rationality!
posted by nearfalse | 9:21 AM
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