Orange Zest Zen

Tuesday, 14 March 2006.

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Peeling an orange can lead to enlightenment.

Don’t believe me? Go on, find an orange. Get it, and peel it. And eat it. And go wash your hands, don’t go getting any of that sticky juice on the keyboard.

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All set? Good.

Now, when you peeled the orange, did you get the entire rind off in one piece? If not, why do you think that is?

It’s my understanding that you can only get the entire orange peel off in one piece if you take your time and go where the rind wants to go, not where you want to go. The orange will not bow to your methodology; it will assert it’s own will that you have to follow if you want to get the whole rind off in one go.

I think this is the case with a lot of things. Let’s try life: if you want to get all of life in one go without any breaks in it, you need to go where it takes you: don’t enforce your will upon it, just go with the flow.

Now, mind you, I don’t think this is necessarily the best methodology. It is the unambitious road, to be sure; and much in life is best learned from experience.

I'm just saying that if you go with the flow, it’s smooth sailing.