Human Consciousness, Toilet Paper and the Philosophy of Turdology

As I am certain has happened to pretty much all of us at one time or another, this morning I found myself using the last of the paper on the toilet paper roll.

And I found myself thinking "Why the hell am I always the one who gets the last bits?"

But that thought only lasted for a minute, because I quickly realized that I am not "always" that person. It happens to all of us.

Thankfully, there was another roll of paper to be had, in the bathroom.

And I was grateful for that.

Leaf in the sun

A Metaphor for Awareness and Mindfulness

This insignificant event made me think about the general state of our world; our society.

A lot of people will find themselves — metaphorically speaking — "using the last bits of toilet paper."

When that happens, we are "invited" to chose between being grateful that there actually was enough paper... or we can get grumpy and feel put upon because we got to the end of the roll.

Personally, I choose gratitude. I try to be thankful for what is, rather than unhappy with what isn't.

And I don't mean that in some overly optimistic, 'positivity inflated" sense, but ocusing on a negative outcome that didn't actually happen doesn't really serve any purpose aside from letting us go forth into the day with a negative attitude.

Which we then spread around like shit onto everyone else.

Leaves, decaying...

Turdology: Everything Is Shit!

For some reason this all made me think about LeRoy O'Bennick.

LeRoy was an elder of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes whom Mrs. Denmarkguy and I met in Hot Springs, Montana during a road trip, many years ago.

LeRoy's "religion" or Life Philosophy was "Turdology," which basically grew from the realization that everything in life somehow revolves around shit. You eat stuff and it turns into shit, and then you use shit as fertilizer to grow stuff. When you die, your body pretty much turns back to shit, which in turn will bring new life so some beetle that eats dead flesh... and on and on.

LeRoy passed away in 2015, but he was a pretty smart guy.

The Next Level of Mindfulness

Getting back to the "end of the toilet roll" situation again, a lot of people are grateful when it turns out there is just enough paper for them.

But that's where the awareness typically ends.

Very few are the ones for whom it also occurs that when you use the last bits, consciousness invites you to make sure there's a new roll available for the next person who's going to use the facilities.

We may be mindful of having gratitude because we were OK, but do we remember to think ahead and be aware that someone comes after us, at some point? Some might say "Well, that's THEIR problem, they should be self-reliant!" but is that truly a mindful approach to living? Wouldn't we all be better off if someone did take a moment out of their day to make sure that the next person in line — whatever line that might be — isn't screwed because of our actions?

Thanks for reading!

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Created at 190423 23:41 PST
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