“When recognition is not there, I see something I have never seen before.” Discussion 6 in Gstaad, 19 August 1962
You don’t look closely at what you recognize because you can’t examine everything; a lot of things must be taken on trust. So we depend on our ability to know what things are instantly, if not soon enough to avoid a mistake or misunderstanding. But the problem is that sometimes, appearances are deceptive or misleading, and your power of recognition fails when things aren’t what they seem to be. At moments like these, you can feel lost and helpless for lack of what is familiar and reliable, and this feeling is the antithesis of the knowing, confident person you want to be.
Your desire to be knowing and confident enough to never feel lost and helpless is fear shaping your approach to life, and you see this, but what is there to do about it? You are fear itself, always striving through one approach or another to be free of striving, and it’s exhausting. This could go on until death, or it could end right now…or so you’re told by those you trust are enlightened.
You really don’t know what to do, and you would do nothing if you could, but you can’t stop being what you are or turn into something else. All you can do is carry on as usual, but with unusual interest in what you’re doing.
. For my part I don’t see that the I is preachy, presomptuous or confessional. For the third person I agree; it is too detached. But so is the you. But it’s a matter of opinion .