Let the Mystery Be

"Everybody is wondering what and where they all came from
Everybody is worrying where they're going to go when the whole thing's done.
No one knows for certain, and it's all the same to me
I think I'll just let the mystery be."

-- Iris Dement. From her song "Let the Mystery Be."

It's harder than it sounds to let the mystery be. Our minds crave certainty, even false certainty. And so, we're always making up stuff, like myths and theories and philosophies and religions. Nice, comforting stories to dull the mind back into its comfort zone.

The only problem is, we miss so much! We miss reality. For what is reality but perception and mystery? Cognition and all its byproducts are merely thoughts about reality, not reality itself. As humans we are wildly creative and endlessly inventive. We make up incredible stories about life before and after death. We forget the most important thing, though, -- they are just stories, fanciful creations, not direct, empirical reports.

Why is it so threatening to let the mystery be? Perhaps because without stories of before and after, all we have is here and now. And, for many people, nothing is more terrifying, more awe-full than the present. Unbuffered, unvarnished, unmediated reality is a whole new experience, a cold, Zen slap for someone who has been living in never never land. Without supporting and surrounding stories, life is oh so immediate, oh so in your face. No escape. Here we are. Now what?

"Now what" unfolds. No sophisticated theology or infantile belief systems required. One step after another. Seeing what needs to be done. Tapping into your capacity to do it. Breathing in, breathing out. Enjoying life and all its mysteries. Just that. And it's plenty.