no room for hipsters

[ from addair who is listening to The White Stripes (Elephant) ]

One of my favorite things about being in Mexico is discovering other ways of doing things.  It makes me feel like being an idealist is really the most logical of ways to be, because to think that we know all possibilities in any given moment well enough to rule out all but a few options is ridiculous and quite ignorant.  Why shouldn’t we dream of opportunity and alternatives?

one of the more "stretching" (but fun) experiences. carnival celebration in Coita

Here in Tuxtla, I’m learning of a different way to build a sidewalk.  To sell water.  To greet a friend.  To advertise a business.  To bathe.  To build a house.  To celebrate.  To pray.  To eat.  To dress.  To move your body.  To make music.  To make art.  To get an education.  To decorate a home.  To say goodbye.  To exercise.  To plan a city.  To commute.  To drink tea.  To sleep.  To buy groceries.  To spend the day at the pool.  To keep up a road.  To construct a roof.  To run a dance class.

To wear a costume. To earn some extra money. To make a flower hat.

Seeing these things makes me feel hopeful because it reminds me that we aren’t as stuck in our problems as we think.  There are lots of options for living and for solving.  The biggest threat to our joy and peace is our unwillingness to become aware of possibility and potential.  It is hard work and often uncomfortable but we can (continually) re-condition our minds.

To throw a street party. To use flour. To hang out with your friends.

Lots of the world operates on an entirely different set of norms and perceptions from our own and we don’t have to limited to our particular set  of neuronal connections.  We can share and we can grow.  There is infinite potential in our minds (thus our experience in the world) if only we are willing to open them.

Tags: alternatives, Buddhism, Carnival celebration, Coita, colorful, costumes, dance, elephant, growth, humanity, idealism, jamgon kongtrul, learning, mexico, opportunity, parachicos, party, possibility, potential, road, shaving cream, the white stripes, Travel