The space between things is what is most important.
I’ve been thinking about space. Not outer space. The space we place between things. The space that exists between concepts.
Consider walking into a large cathedral. If you watch people enter such a space, you will notice that almost everyone will look up as they enter. As people look up, they are often filled with a sense of awe and wonder.
The purpose of a church, like a large cathedral is more than just to worship a deity. If worship was the only purpose, then any building would do. There would be no need for a large open space; a small enclosure would do just fine.
Contrary to popular belief, a large cathedral was not built to honor God. It was built to change a person’s consciousness. When we walk into a large cathedral our perception changes, we look up. We look beyond our self. Our consciousness lifts upward. We are filled with awe and wonder, because, as the theologians profess, God is awesome and wondrous. A large cathedral attempts to create the attitude of being before God. The cathedral was not designed to impress God. The cathedral was designed to impress each of us individually and create the impression of being before God.
It is the space between things that matters most.
The emptiness focuses our attention on the things that we should focus on. A library may be filled with people, but the air is empty of sound. That emptiness allows us to focus on our studies. Museums are large empty spaces. It is the emptiness between art pieces that focuses our attention, and helps us appreciate, the art on display. To fully appreciate those things that bring us value we must empty the space around us. If we empty the space around us we can then be free to focus on that which is important and meaningful.
Emptiness is not just about physical spaces and the objects contained within. Emptiness is also important in other things that we experience.
We often talk about how a book or film has a deeper meaning; a meaning hidden beyond the visible actions and dialogue. For example, one of my favorite books is The Lord of the Rings. When you read The Lord of the Rings, the good versus evil story is apparent. However, the story of The Lord of the Rings is not just about ridding the world of a powerful ring to defeat the growing evil in the land. Tolkien, a devout Catholic, asserted his story was a Christian story. The Lord of the Rings has concepts such as a savior returning to save the land from evil, conquering death through resurrection, the importance of individual will to accomplish great good, and balancing the needs of mankind with protecting and preserving the natural order of things. These concepts are not explicitly stated within its pages, but they exist between the space of words and paragraphs for readers to appreciate.
If you read a book and you gain a deeper meaning from that book, then that book will likely hold greater value for you. The value comes not from what exists on the pages, but what is being said in the space between those pages.
The idea of space can be applied to our own lives. You are not defined by the number of things you own. You are defined by the value hidden in the space between those things. The greater the space, the more the value will be highlighted and exposed.
So, what is the point or purpose of this essay? Not much really. My only aim is to encourage anybody to let go of those physical trappings that so many of us treasure. If we treasure too many things, then the value of those things gets lost in the clutter. De-clutter your life, display few things and you highlight the true value in your life.