It is hard to get it right, isn’t it? This is especially true when it comes to the functioning of human relations. I am often frustrated, late, afraid, anxious — the list goes on and on. Recently, I was reminded that “the meek shall inherit the earth.” (1) I fail at this, too. I can easily become overwhelmed with anger and frustration. So what am I to do to improve my failings in life? The prescription: sometimes, to rebuild your emotional health, you must simply take a break, suspend all judgments — enjoy a day wherein “you do not pass sentence” on yourself or others. You don’t forgive or evaluate anything — a state of neutrality. You have an “existential pause.” (2).
This will immediately have two effects: firstly, by not being asked to bring forward any emotion whatsoever, you realize that you exist in this moment of time. It is a wonderful gift, but finite, in this reality. Sometimes my mind is much like a raging river. Here, I can have a moment of respite. It is truly wonderful to experience the instant, pure, and unencumbered by any joy or guilt — an unadulterated state of non-judgmental time. Secondly, this forces you to realize that your thoughts are of your own creation. You manufacture the world that you occupy. If I am frustrated, I am because of my intentions. Frustration does not exist without me. It is not a pure or a universal in the same sense as love, for example.
By giving yourself a break, a day off, you realize that “I am who I want to be or not.” But that is a personal decision. True pleasure and a real sense of freedom are the result of this epiphany. When I’m having a difficult day, my reaction to it is my choice. Now, on the days that I am bitter and angry, I can knowledge that I have chosen this day, this mood. If not, I can decide to change or ameliorate my feelings.
With this realization comes a responsibility, however. I can no longer play the “victim card.” (3) I’ve become 100% responsible for my life. I further concede that “life is fickle.” But how I respond to life’s many vagaries and failures is only up to me. By adopting this view of the world, we recognize that freedom is never free. I accept the frailties of my mortal being — the good and the bad. Getting it right becomes a daily struggle in imperfection, always trying to achieve something sublime in the face of rapidly disappearing time. The writer, Richard Bach, (4) leaves with a thought: If it’s never our fault, we can’t take responsibility for it. If we can’t take responsibility for it, we’ll always be its victim.
A closing thought: The practice of mindfulness reminds us that “all I truly have is time.” Whatever crisis I am currently experiencing only exists in time, perhaps this time. But, as we all know, this too shall pass. (5) As we strive for excellence, to get it right in life, we can, therefore, accept our failures. All are but lessons on the long adventure of life. We have no regrets!
To sum up: This week, we spoke about learning how to relax and refresh to prepare for the ongoing struggles in life.
To be noted: From Fyodor Dostoyevsky (6) — Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.
Just for fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CC1jwr7rak&ab_channel=CatholicChantsfortheSoul
For reflection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OfcSWi-upE&ab_channel=BeyondtheVeil
This week, on your insightful walk, please contemplate this moment on your path of life.
Every day, look for something magical and beautiful.
Don’t be a wage slave – critical thinking is great!
Quote: A day of respite refreshes the soul
Footnotes:
1) Matthew 5:5
2) An “existential pause” refers to a moment or period of deep reflection and questioning about the meaning and purpose of life. It is non-judgmental.
3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mapfAGS3PBE&ab_channel=FreedominThought
5) It is known in the Western world primarily due to a 19th-century retelling of a Persian fable by the English poet Edward FitzGerald (1809-1883):
SOLOMON’S SEAL.
The Sultan asked Solomon for a Signet motto, that
should hold good for Adversity or Prosperity. Solomon
gave him,
“THIS ALSO SHALL PASS AWAY.”
6) https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fyodor-Dostoyevsky/Political-activity-and-arrest