“Peace does not mean the absence of conflict, because opposition, polarity, and conflict are natural laws.”
-Bryant McGill
GOOD AND BAD
We tend to look at earthquakes as or tornadoes as these destructive forces but in a cosmic sense they’re merely just regular occurrences. It’s our minds that label events good or bad. However, these words are technically just terms we apply to things so we can explain them to each other. Terms that depend on our perspectives.
How often do we allow our perspectives to cloud our minds and shape the way we handle things?
Things happen beyond our control whether we like it or not.
The experience and change of upheaval from one state to another doesn’t mean we did anything wrong. It only reflects the truth; everything is in constant flux. We commit ourselves to said greater truth when we allow ourselves to be changed from our perspective as a separate entity into a part of the cosmic whole. Think about it… What effects do we bring to the world around us when we become parts of the Cosmic Unity? We transform into agents of change who can soften the struggles others endure. We start to use our faculties to help our fellow humans rise above.
GROWING THROUGH WHAT WE’RE GOING THROUGH
This commitment to the path of service means we become channels of change and compassion. Our painful mistakes become life lessons that others can draw strength and hope from. Heartbreak becomes the reason we show kindness. Drug addicts have been following this prescribed method for over a century now following the old adage of “you gotta give it away to keep it.”
It is up to us to learn from the things we go through and harmonize with the nature. It takes effort, but there is always a subjective angle to everything we encounter. So what is good?
Things always balance out. It’s not all about winning or losing- this either/or concept- but more a matter of accepting the ebb and flow of life and moving along fluidly. In this sense doing the right thing is simply maintaining balance. Just don’t go full Thanos and destroy half of existence.
Sometimes a perfect storm clears away debris in our lives. So, was your business flooded or were you given an opportunity to upgrade outdated computers with the insurance proceeds? No matter what you’re facing, just ask yourself, is this a chance to create a desired change?
Reflect back on the difficult times in your life and ask yourself what wisdom you gained. We always grow from experience. Chaos exists. It’s a natural phenomenon. Of course it manifests differently than we’d like, but that’s because we fail to recognize only change is constant.
We are creatures of habit who resists change. We all know why.
- Change is frustrating
- Change is difficult
- Change involves responsibility
- Life has ups and downs in accordance with the law of cycles-rhythms
Our spiritual understanding will blossom as we accept change, no matter how painful. There are no roses without thorns.
POLARITY OF CHANGE
“It is because everyone under Heaven recognizes beauty as beauty that the idea of ugliness exists.”
-Tao Te Ching
This notion of an absolute good or bad doesn’t exist beyond our perceptions. In every good there is some bad. It’s circumstantial. When we finally grasp this concept we become more accepting of change.
Good students realize that even our negative experiences are lessons worthy of careful study. How we handle what happens to us will always matter more than what actually happened. Our responses measure our growth as human beings.
Everything is in constant motion to become something else. The key to true initiation is the inner willingness of the student to bring about healthy change in the lives of everyone they come in contact with. To nurture love and bring lasting peace no matter the turmoil happening around us.
Don’t misunderstand. We humans want to live happy and free of suffering but we don’t always get what we want. Mystics are often misconstrued by those of us who hear of a perfect state of being because we instantly attach our own ideas of what that peaceful state looks like and completely miss the point. To constantly chase after what we want and avoid our dislikes is to miss huge chunks of life. When Buddha taught that everything leans he was unmasking a profound truth of interconnectedness.
Why cut ourselves off from the mystery of existence by searching for absolutes or labelling things with likes and dislikes? Chances are our labelling merely serves as a way to share an idea without capturing what we’re labelling. Life challenges us to bear with it accept that we may never find a conclusion. So next time you want to shut down around an experience by clinging to what you think it should be, try pausing and questioning its nature. Instead of reacting in that old familiar way explore what this “thing” allegedly is.
It’s by feeling the full range of emotions and accepting they’re all a part of being alive that we break up our patterns of avoiding dislikes and chasing desires. In many ways this is how life challenges us to redefine real. After all, when has life ever fit into our preconceived notions to begin with?
Mystical Mindstate 