Who am I?
This is a question that is difficult for me to answer. On the one hand, I can easily say what I do for personal enjoyment, what I do for work, what possessions I own, etc. However, on the other hand, I find it difficult to say anything other than what I truly am, which is just a part of this living universe. I am a drop of water in the ocean of the cosmos, and so is everyone else.
We will dive into this topic in much greater detail in further blog posts, but for now, I’m going to keep it simple. Keep it entry level.
Personally, I feel that it is important to think about things from a dual perspective. We will discuss the meditative components of Zen, the universe, how nature and our lives fit into all of that, but we will also discuss the very real and down-to-earth components of my interpretation of Zen philosophy. A lot of us are “playing the game” of life: we go to work, we enjoy some entertainment, we take vacations and explain these life events to other people who are no doubt very interested in what we have to say. We describe things with an ownership attachment; we say things like “my dog, my job, my wife,” and so on.
My point is that sayings like these are simply used to interact with society and our fellow human beings, and are not against Zen teachings or what we will discuss together; rather, I simply view it as playing along. So, to start off, I will describe myself as such, as I’m playing along; however, I want to be mindful as I also know that my own ego is squarely at odds with the teachings of Zen. We will discuss how to break away from our egos because the true nature of our lives is that we are all parts of the living universe.
In any event, my name is Ryan. I am recently married to my wife, Rebecca. We have a black lab puppy, Zoey, and two short-haired orange cats, Archie and Theo. We live in the mountains where we operate our homestead. We raise a variety of vegetables in our garden and keep laying chickens to produce eggs.
Originally, when I was at university for my undergraduate studies, I had enrolled in a writing major. However, after much contemplation, I switched to a business degree and graduated in 2014. From there, I went on to enjoy a successful career in the insurance industry, where I still work during the day. I am also currently enrolled in a graduate program.
Outside of work/school, I very much enjoy rock climbing and bouldering, hiking, kayaking, and whitewater rafting. My wife is trying to get me into fishing, but she hasn’t been able to yet. I like staying active, running, lifting, and eating healthy. I cook all of our meals and try to use items we grow at home as much as possible. I am a strong proponent of eating as many organic foods as possible/feasible.
Naturally, I also love writing and reading. Some of my favorite fiction works are George Orwell’s “1984” and Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451”. I have been enjoying some non-fiction books as of late too, as I get into more books on astronomy and physics. I have published one fiction book so far, but I want to get back into writing more, hence the blog, and hopefully, I will be compelled to further my book career.
I hope to provide a space where we can discuss Zen philosophy, learn and discover new topics together, and generally enjoy discovering life with one another.
I’m glad that you started your own blog. I will continue to read your stories!