Row, row, row your boat
gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
life is but a dream.
This simple nursery rhyme can actually serve as a great mantra to live by. This is my interpretation of the rhyme!
The boat symbolizes one's self and the rowing, which takes skill and practice, can be interpreted as the hard work needed to keep one's self afloat. This can be hard work in terms of making money to survive or hard work needed to perfect your craft and chase after your dreams!
"Gently down the stream" can be linked to the slow and steady movement of time, which takes you from one life experience to the next; through the life cycle of baby, child, man and human death.
It's also noted to row merrily. This is a reminder not to take life too seriously, accept all challenges and experiences with a smile and lightheartedness. It's important to keep a cheerful spirit because LIFE IS BUT A DREAM! The world consists of many illusions that we have been taught to accept as reality. Our waking reality is akin to a sleeping dream. When we dream, our physical senses still work; we see, hear, and touch things even though there isn't any "real" external stimulus. So here's the question...Is what we experience in wakefulness really there the way we experience it?
"Once upon a time, I, Chuang Chou, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Chou. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man." - Zhuangzi
We also can feel regular human emotions while asleep dreaming. We can be happy, scared or feel any other number of emotions; only when we awake do we feel relieved because we know that the experience of our dream wasn't "real". This can also be used when contemplating the many stresses of life such as the need for money, having responsibilities, work, jobs, kids, family, etc. These all can make one feel burnt out and stressed out. However, when we "awake" we see these things are not reality, but merely tools we have to interact with this physical life.
It's like that scene in The Matrix when Morpheus asks Neo what he thinks constitutes reality. Morpheus says, "If reality is the things you can see, touch, smell and hear then reality is nothing more than electrical signals interpreted by your brain." Conversely, our senses only give us a limited grasp of the world around us. So remember to have fun, live freely and never forget that life is only a dream!
gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
life is but a dream.
This simple nursery rhyme can actually serve as a great mantra to live by. This is my interpretation of the rhyme!
The boat symbolizes one's self and the rowing, which takes skill and practice, can be interpreted as the hard work needed to keep one's self afloat. This can be hard work in terms of making money to survive or hard work needed to perfect your craft and chase after your dreams!
"Gently down the stream" can be linked to the slow and steady movement of time, which takes you from one life experience to the next; through the life cycle of baby, child, man and human death.
It's also noted to row merrily. This is a reminder not to take life too seriously, accept all challenges and experiences with a smile and lightheartedness. It's important to keep a cheerful spirit because LIFE IS BUT A DREAM! The world consists of many illusions that we have been taught to accept as reality. Our waking reality is akin to a sleeping dream. When we dream, our physical senses still work; we see, hear, and touch things even though there isn't any "real" external stimulus. So here's the question...Is what we experience in wakefulness really there the way we experience it?
"Once upon a time, I, Chuang Chou, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Chou. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man." - Zhuangzi
We also can feel regular human emotions while asleep dreaming. We can be happy, scared or feel any other number of emotions; only when we awake do we feel relieved because we know that the experience of our dream wasn't "real". This can also be used when contemplating the many stresses of life such as the need for money, having responsibilities, work, jobs, kids, family, etc. These all can make one feel burnt out and stressed out. However, when we "awake" we see these things are not reality, but merely tools we have to interact with this physical life.
It's like that scene in The Matrix when Morpheus asks Neo what he thinks constitutes reality. Morpheus says, "If reality is the things you can see, touch, smell and hear then reality is nothing more than electrical signals interpreted by your brain." Conversely, our senses only give us a limited grasp of the world around us. So remember to have fun, live freely and never forget that life is only a dream!
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