i recently had a conversation that shut me down. that's not an easy task, i assure you.
it got me thinking about the baggage we carry and the four noble truths. in brief, these are the four noble truths: life means suffering; the origin of suffering is attachment; cessation of suffering is attainable; and there is a path to the cessation of suffering.
what i take away? we all suffer. in being mindful of that, i try to balance the wisdom of that knowledge and cultivate compassion for all sentient beings. so, if a driver cuts me off on the highway, instead of flipping the bird, i try instead to consider that maybe that person is having a rough morning, also.
this is NOT easy.
there is a lot of noise in my head, and i'm trying to keep what is going on in my life straight. people rarely do what i want them to, and i don't understand why i keep getting hurt.
nonetheless, we all suffer. you suffer. i suffer. if i'm told that i have no idea how badly someone has been hurt, they're right. but, i know that they have; i will listen and i will be there.
back to this conversation. i wanted to shout out all the horrible things that have happened to me and all the awful things that have been said to me. i wanted to scream, what about me?
what about me? yes, i've been wronged and i have wronged. but, i will not give up. there is love in my life and there is joy. i refuse to be held back from the possibilities by the pain of my past. there is more to me than that. there are great joys and accomplishments in my past, as well. more importantly, there is more joy and love in my heart for today and tomorrow.
so yes, we all suffer and when you are suffering, i will be here.
3 comments:
I think one of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to have no expectations of anyone or anything. Expectations can only lead to disappointment.
Easier said than done, I know.
love your compassionate expression. not allowing our past experiences n circumstances to steal the joy of living is a great realization.
respectfully, the comment above reflects surrender of the wonder of possibility every day offers.
That's what "Having no expectations" means.
Having expectations, especially of another person, means, to me anyway, that you've got your own script in your mind that you hope and expect everyone to follow. And then when they don't, you experience disappointment because you're not getting what you wanted or hoped for.
If you go into it with no script, i.e., no expectations, you won't be disappointed.
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