There are so many things we don’t get to decide when we land on this planet as babies. We are assigned parents, gender, socioeconomic status, culture, language, religion, and values. We don’t get to choose whether our birth families love us, or treat us with disdain. Perhaps we are maltreated and subjected to abuse or neglect. What is certain is that no matter who we are, we will one day suffer loss, heartbreak, illness, old age, and death. All of these things we hold in common with one another. By virtue of being alive, we will suffer in one way or another prior to leaving this earth. It’s part of the human condition. At the heart of suffering is attachment, attachment to those we love, and attachment to material things. Also at the heart of suffering is expectations. When we learn to let go of attachment and learn acceptance, we reduce our self inflicted suffering. Easily said than done, however.
When we are born we are given a measure of adversity and gifts. It’s what we choose to do with these that will eventually form our character. For some, adversity is far greater than our capacity for resilience and this in turn creates trauma. The good news is that we don’t have to remain trapped in trauma. We can heal and move beyond trauma to live fruitful and joy filled lives. I will write more on this in subsequent blogs. For now, only we can truly know ourselves. We can decide who we want to be, and let go of trying to be what others believe us to be or would like us to be. We are accountable to ourselves and to our god, whatever or whomever we conceive that to be. Feel free to leave a message in the envelope provided below or if you have any questions, I will be happy to provide a response.
Seeking the Light 