this mystery
what it takes
to reframe expectation
from seeking lives of: comfort, predictability, reward
to accepting the discomfort of discipline
the price to pay for change
the price for growth
for any derivation from the status quo of inertia and stasis
but bodies, our bodies, have deep programs for safety and
subsistence for survival solely to perpetuate the race
to propagate dna
but how do I reconcile this deep intuition of the value of
effortless
flow and non-striving as something different from pursuing immediate
gratification and resistance to change?
I think they reconcile in Stoic acceptance that the nature of
reality is striving with energy and exuberance
even Ecstasy
towards pursuit of values and qualities
not towards the ends in their lawful manifestations
those are merely incidental
to aspire to a quality of being
and to use every challenge
to strengthen and make ourselves resilient towards these ends
to run away from and to fear nothing
to meet it all head-on, the whole catastrophe, according to Zorba
the Greek
not to seek ease, but strength
yet with a lightness of being
that doesn’t take our situation seriously
and is accepting
and affirming of the best in our fellow man
because they are struggling too
flickering between their best and worst
searching for belief in themselves
and acceptance
we can offer them both
without judgment or criticism
and not forget
how to party
What appears outside,
now to, there is a large stage we are thrust upon
and some of us are intimately involved in this stage and our act in
this time
I admire, encourage and love these people and count them among
friends and family
but this is not me
I feel there are so many forces at work in our daily existence that
dwarf the human mind
that to say something is good or bad, black or white would only
speak of my illusions
and say nothing of the truth of the matter
though I may feel vehemently contrary
Since I believe, without proof or cause, that the Universe has my
back
I can focus on understanding different issues
than solving world problems
it seems raw nature is just as easily approached within
as without
and our consciousness stands in that crossroads
where all the deals with the devil are made