A Letter to Student John M.

[Lewis]

Hello John,

I watched three movies yesterday as I am recovering from ‘vertigo’ and feeling better today. One movie you may enjoy with Robbin Williams called “The Angriest Man in Brooklyn.” It’s truly hilarious. Another movie in which I found profound wisdom “The River Why” it’s a simple movie, however, there is one part that touched me. A friend of the lead actor (Gus) was explaining the nature of the “Creator” and using a fishing pole as an example. If the fishing pole could think it would believe out of its own freewill that it only knows itself with its varnish, its size, its color of threads, its nature. It has no awareness of its maker Gus who has the power to use it, fish with it, hang it on the wall or discard it as it gets old. Likewise his friend who thinks himself as a philosopher helps Gus realize that he has no awareness of his creator and that this Being is the cause of our essence: which I found expressed in this movie truly profound.

The other movie is ‘Ondine’ also a simple movie but there is a part that is so true. The lead actor is recovering from a hangover from the night of heavy drinking and now in a sorrowful state is having a conversation with a priest and the priest said this…”it so easy to dwell in our suffering, however, it takes effort and work to be happy:” Amazingly, how things, that is, the wisdom of life are dropped onto our lap and so easy to miss.

My thoughts, it looks terrible as mankind suffers and yet he resists the dynamic work and effort to become truly happy as what Spinoza describes in his Ethics. Also, Gurdjieff explains clearly that we are identified and attached to our suffering and not so easy to let go.

In our last meeting you found yourself in a new place “the absence of pain” or as you called it a feeling of contentment. Not only is it important to be aware of these new states of being but how we arrived to it. Not intellectually but intuitively with an active understanding.

Your new experience with your son Leo (how you let go of your desire to express your superiority and allowed him to be) as he was expressing in writing a complicated mathematical problem is truly a blessing it demonstrates how growth is possible when one begins to understand and apply the ideas of Spinoza and Gurdjieff. You’re letting go of your past identity of being Martin the bruiser which gave you a false sense of power. You are becoming a man with a new identity, that is, a new found intelligence that changes ones perspective inwardly and is now able to see clearly outwardly.
Lastly, your love of understanding can only be recognized by you intuitive nature. Intellectualism can only see partially and is blind to the essence of things. Your intuition is now an active part of your being and it requires daily effort to understand so it growth is never ending, it’s on going.

Lewis

[Author]

Posts