Life can be miserable. Either it’s miserable for us at certain times, or we watch the misery of others and our hearts are broken. How do we not get overwhelmed by it all?
Knowledge and action. And knowledge comes first. There are many sources of our miseries but there are three main categories – nature, others, and our own mind.
Nature shows her brute force and has us all scrambling. It’s a power we need to respect, and generally don’t. She is an agent of collective karma, and will also bring misery if we don’t protect, support, and give back to her. Earth, water, fire, air, and ether – move in the own time, and in their own way and keep us fully occupied in our efforts to conquer them.
Others – our interactions with other living creatures is another source of misery in the world. Oh, how we hurt each other on so many levels, big and small. When we have been hurt enough and our trust is depleted, we close ourselves off from the world, and that brings another kind of pain. The ego is easily bruised and offended and we waste much time licking our wounds and feeling sorry for ourselves.
Our mind – the mighty mind, is the third source of misery. It is quick to the march and relentless in its berating of ourselves and others. It has a strong and loud voice. It’s perhaps the hardest of all the miseries to deal with, for we can’t walk away from it and it is not easily turned off.
So what to do? How to respond to these forces in our lives that are ever present?
Bring your own weather – Remember we have, in our original essential self, complete knowledge, happiness, and the touch of eternity. We do indeed live forever, and our life here is a small, very small, chapter of that. So, while remembering that, we can rise above it all and smile, love, care, give, and live with compassion and patience. Live with less and give more.
Bring your umbrella – miseries are real as long as we live, so be prepared. A strong daily japa meditation practice is essential for coping with the mind and others. Living as green as you can restores nature.
Move to a better climate – life is simply about choice, desire and choice. Our choice. Take a good look at how you live everyday and make changes. We all know the things we are doing that need to stop, and the things we are not doing that need to start. Any day is the right day to begin that process.
The Gita is an excellent resource book on knowledge and action, and how to make it to the end of this life in one piece. Get your copy today and begin the change – your mind, others, and nature herself will thank you for it!
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