I came across this German word recently. It doesn't quite mean "delight" or "pleasure" or even "anticipation". It is the "pre-delight", the "before joy". This single word captures the relationship of time, the pleasure of waiting for the moment to arrive, the can't wait moments of elation, of hoping for something, someone, some event to happen.
We have been told by wise men that everything is all about moments--that we should cherish the moment and never mind the continuance of time. But somehow the beauty lies in the time before, the hope for, the waiting for and then, once it passes, it will be the memory that stays, the reflection, the remembrance of that time.
So you see I don't hold with the concept of Zen. Everything isn't about the now. Everything is about the before then and the back then. It is about the anticipation of the moment and the memory of the moment, but not the moment.
I will live my life in the bliss of always having something to hope for, something to wait for, plans not realized, dreams not yet come true. I always have new points on the horizon that I create deliberately. And at the same time, I relive my memories, uphold and cherish them, keep them alive and share them, talk about them.
And that is my philosophy lesson for today.
