Desire and Contentment
There is no greater mistake than following desire;
There is no greater disaster than forgetting contentment;
There is no greater sickness than seeking attainment
- Daodejing, Chapter 46, Merel Translation
A common process for finding contentment might go something like this:
Step 1: Desire something (a possession, wealth, a relationship, a job, etc.)
Step 2: Work to attain/obtain that which you desire.
Step 3: Experience satisfaction and/or contentment.
The Secret of Life
Everything we do has a limited window of time in which it has any relevance. Fame? Most of us can name several performers from the past 100 years. What about from the 1800′s? Or how about the names of the most famous gladiators in ancient Rome? The names and memory of billions of lives have been lost to time. They lived. They died. They were forgotten.
What is greatness in the scope of time and the universe? Has one thing done by anyone who has ever lived made an impact on the universe? We left some footprints on the moon. We sent some machines out into space where it will be thousands of years before having a chance to encounter anything else. Everything done on our little planet is of absolutely no importance to the rest of the universe.
The things we do are important for a brief speck of time and only to some of the living things on our planet. Beyond that, we too will be forgotten. Every trace that I as an individual ever existed will eventually fade. For most of us, the last we will be remembered for is a name on a genealogy search.
I’m not pointing this out to be depressing. In fact, it’s inspiration for the opposite. Let go of the need to make an “impact”. Unless you’re a fairly big rock from space, you won’t be leaving a lasting mark on the planet, so don’t make that a priority.
Your entire life is a one time production. Each moment you experience becomes a memory the next moment. What’s important is you enjoy as many of those as you can. Don’t rush from place to place without paying attention to what’s around you. Each empty moment is an empty memory. Cherish the simple things instead of always looking forward to the next big thing.
One day you will be at the end of the show, with more memories than moments. Will they fill you with happiness? Will they sustain the glow of your life as your moments dwindle? Or will they be dark, cold, fading memories of all the moments you never noticed?
Take notice of your life now. That’s what’s important. Feel it flowing through you.
The secret of life is to live it. The more you embrace it, the more it will stay with you. The more you rush past, the less you will keep.
Cultivation
Cultivate harmony within yourself, and harmony becomes real
Cultivate harmony within your family, and harmony becomes fertile
Cultivate harmony within your community, and harmony becomes abundant
Cultivate harmony within your culture, and harmony becomes enduring
Cultivate harmony within the world, and harmony becomes ubiquitous.
-Daodejing, from Chapter 54,
translation by Peter Merel
Think of life as a garden. Every action we take is a seed. Well grounded actions are firmly planted seeds. These are not easily uprooted. What does this mean? For the things in your life that matter most, be consistent and be thoughtful. Rash actions, harsh words and frivolous care can disrupt your garden.
Each of us tends our own garden. Yet our garden is part of our family’s garden, which is in turn part of our community’s garden. The community’s garden is part of our culture’s garden which is part of the global garden. What you plant influences those around you. It can change what others plant in their garden. People are social. We look at the garden’s around us. What do you see when you look around yourself? Do you see beautiful gardens or do you soil going to waste because nothing takes root?
Help those around you by tending your garden well. It will be an example for others. Plant fun flowers that make you smile. Plant good vegetables that fill your belly. Cultivation is how we live our lives. How we grow our gardens is our contribution to the world.
Faith
Via Twitter, @TheOnlyRealSage asked me if I have any words on lost faith or hope. To start with, we need to understand what these words mean. Faith is often used interchangeably with belief or trust. In such cases, to lose your faith in someone would mean a loss of trust or belief in their words or actions. Another use of “lost faith” is in a wider spiritual sense and means to become disillusioned with a particular view. In this light, Faith is the acceptance of an explanation for something that has no other reasoning that satisfies you. When you begin to doubt this explanation, you lose acceptance and eventually you’re left with no satisfactory answers.
The problem with faith in a specific system or religion is these are generally static, meaning they have little room for change. Yet answers must change as our understanding of the world changes. Anything unable to reasonably grow with our awareness will often bring us into direct conflict between our faith and our understanding. While it may be possible to make enough justifications in our minds to reconcile these differences, it’s often that we have to let go of old answers that simply no longer work for us.
Jealousy
This post is in response to a twitter message asking my thoughts on Jealousy and how to get rid of it.
It’s important to understand the feeling and its source. Personally, I place it in the Fear Family of emotions. It can have various roots: uncertainty, distrust, a low self-esteem. The important thing when examining the feeling is to be honest with yourself and accept that you are the reason you feel jealous. Nobody else forces this on you.
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