This reading contained two passages that were incredibly thought provoking. The first was, “The mature person accepts his situation and doesn’t desire anything outside it. If he finds himself rich and honored, he acts as a rich man should act; if he is poor, he acts as a poor man should act; if he is in trouble, he acts as someone in trouble should act. Life can present him with no situation in which he isn’t master of himself.” Maybe this means that no matter what your lot in life is, rich or poor, in trouble or carefree, you don’t need a guide to tell you how to exist in that way and be content. For instance, if I lost my job and my home tomorrow, I would suddenly know how to exist as a homeless person. It may not seem like I possess the knowledge to live my life in this way, but if it became my new reality, I’d be the master of my homeless self just as I’m the master of my sheltered self now. But is it really possible for a person to be homeless, accept it, and not have any desires? Maybe, if I let go of my perceptions of what life is supposed to be I could grasp this concept. If I accept life as a journey, then I wouldn’t feel like my life is off track because I find myself homeless. Being homeless is the track which is a part of the same journey.
The second passage, “He makes sure that his own conduct is correct and seeks nothing from others; thus he is never disappointed. He has no complaints against heaven and no blame toward other people.” This made me think of life as a game in which I can always choose to have the ball in my court. If the ball is in my court, then I have the power, and if I throw the ball away, I lose my power. So, if I keep the ball and have the power to be peaceful, loving and kind, then why would I ever choose to toss my ball to feel the pain of disappointment, guilt or jealousy? This passage shows that our choices to use correct conduct along with disengaging in negative emotions, can produce inner harmony.
Bad feelings diminish the power we have left to do good and be well, but having these feelings are still choices that we make. From moment to moment we can choose happiness over sadness, delight over bitterness, and acceptance over disapproval. I feel empowered already.
About Me
- tnt77
- I am Teira (pronouced Tear-a). My mother named me after a character on All My Children in the 70's. I lost my mom last summer and realized life's too short to take anything for granted. The biggest thing I've learned not to take for granted is Tomorrow. I've lived in Rocklin for 4 yrs with my wife of 10yrs, 2 dogs (Maximus & Hercules), cat (Simba), and fish (Lebron ~ like the b-ball player). My wife and I have been married 3 times in 10 yrs. 1st, we eloped in Las Vegas, 2nd, we stood in line at S.F. City Hall for 8 hours when gay marriage was legal for 10 minutes, and the 3rd time we renewed our vows in Vegas. We're considering a 4th now that it's legal in California and this may be a great opportunity for me to finally get a band and ice sculpture! I haven't decided on a major, but I'm leaning towards the social sciences. I listen to a ton of left & right talk radio, and find that I'm always outraged at the ignorance of others. I hope my education will prepare me to work in a field in which I'm able to promote tolerance, understanding and an appreciation of our diversity.
1 comment:
Hi Teira,
You wrote, "I feel empowered already."
Just let me say that I could *feel* that empowerment coursing through your words as you wrote this blog. It was in your sentences, and it was in the individual words you chose. This enlightenment stuff is so cool, isn't it?
Jason
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