Fortress of Solitude

One of the techniques for keeping this brief human life in perspective is to imagine the actual physical structure of the human body. Underneath the skin the circulatory system the organs is the skeleton. Easy to imagine the skeleton while sitting quietly. Easy and fascinating to observe others in the room and imagine what their skeletons look like. Not too large a leap of imagination to see a room full of skeletons.

When the body dies the outsides and insides melt away rather quickly leaving the bones. The skeleton tells much of the story of the former owner. Dental work. Missing teeth. Healed fractures. Mutant toes. Missing limbs or digits.

Think about how soft you are. Think about your skeleton. The framework for all that fleshy stuff you call your self. Think of your skull then pick up your cup and take a sip. The flesh of your mouth forms on the lip of the cup to prevent leaks and channel the liquid down your throat. A completely fleshy thing to do. No bones touch the cup but your jaw opens and your head tilts forward. Your hands grip the cup. Your arms raise it to your face. Your brain makes it all work effortlessy automatically. Thought is unnecessary when taking a sip from a cup but thinking about it is better. The essence of the Zen concept of mindful living. Applied to every act it makes a complete life of consciousness of the here and now which is all you have. After death that whole system disappears. Think about that. Along with the need to drink the flesh blood muscle brain and electrical impulses required to drink will be gone. All that flesh-gear you take for granted. What’s left is your framework. Your skeleton. Like the chassis of a burned out car. Just an archaeological record. Which eventually turns to dust.

Every time I think of my skeleton I instinctively straighten my spine. Just being mindful of this helps me carry my self better. All that meat and fat hung on my skeleton. Posture. Walk straight sit straight unclench relax. Remember my bones and they will serve me better. Being unmindful of my basic framework slouching or carrying too much weight will distort my bones over time. Gravity always wins.

How about that?