Life Beyond its Trappings, or Trappings make not Life

... yet, we seem to remember life by its trappings. We create rituals that make the trappings even more elaborate - and then we write the rituals in stone. We forget why the rituals were made or what made the trappings so beautiful - but we are caught in the grip of these symbols. We find joy in them, and when we grieve, it is the trappings that make the pain more unbearable - just as it is the trappings that make memories worth remembering. In fact if it were not for the trappings, there would be no memories to recollect, no occasions to celebrate, and no losses to bemoan.

The white dress of the bride left at the alter - a pristine and beautiful reminder of all that could have been, of regret and pain, of squandered lives. The to-be bride grieves the wedding, secretly enjoys the freedom from a bad marriage, and moves on - maybe, to successful relationships - yet, the dress remains, a memory of pain. The truth remains hidden within the trappings - the memories defined by the limitations of the trappings.

But lets take the trappings out from life. We are left with a humdrum - a blur in which time flows so smoothly that it might as well be still. The sun sets and rises and seasons blend into each other. Each sunset is more beautiful and every fall distinctly vibrant. Love is celebrated in silence, in the warmth of a candle flame, excitement expressed in its flicker, and expectation in the welcoming light that shines forth from it. Every moment a unique memory, a participant in and witness to rich histories that just are - and they are beautiful simply because they just are. A beauty that is so rich that we can only assert its existence - maybe feel it in our own individual ways - but cannot entrap it in our trappings.

But then can we remember so much beauty - are our minds capable of recording each detail. When we are dying, would we be able to choose a moment to relive - or would we have no memory at all - because its just too much to remember.

Hence, we come full circle and yearn for the trappings, for the beautiful wedding gowns, the lavish feasts, the rituals ... the works that memory make, even if they are limited in what they remind us of and the expectations they bring.

Or maybe, we shouldn't make any of these trappings at all - live each moment of beauty as they come - who needs memory when each moment is worth it. And then die in peace with the knowledge of beauty, instead of yearning for the memories that lent us mere glimpses of it.

I pray that we may live and love freely, that we may be free of the rituals and trappings of life and enjoy the vibrant beauty that lies in the silence of their absence.

That we may just, be.