Guest guest Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 How ! It touches and accepts touch , the heart of the tiger , roaring thus ------ > when you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. Cherokee Expression On May 7, 2005, at 11:33 AM, Boyd wrote: > Hello again , > > > > I hear you. > > > > I was reflecting last night on the gift that being 50-years old is to > me. We > are so attached to this identity earlier in life. We are going to take > the > bull by the horns, go out there and make our mark and be somebody. And > for > most of us there is a mid-life crisis in our 40's where we become > despondent > about our purpose, our effectiveness, our ability to fulfill on those > dreams, to be who we said we wanted to be, and when you're in that > despondency, it seems like the last place in the world you want to be. > > > > Looking back on it now, that sadness was the most wonderful gift I > could > have possibly received. It was the impetus to give up on winning love, > approval and appreciation from who I was pretending to be. > > > > I'm reminded of a story about a tiger that was mistakenly raised as a > goat. > He tried to be a good goat and fit in to this life he was given, but > he was > despondent and depressed, but not over who he was. He was depressed > over not > being who he thought he was. > > > > Then one day another tiger came into the herd, looking for a meal and > was > shocked by what he saw. Here was a tiger, eating grass and bleating in > terror upon seeing the intruding tiger. The old tiger grabbed the > younger > one and dragged it to the water, and ignoring the protests of terror, > got > the younger one to look at his own reflection, to see who he really > was. The > young tiger was astonished, and stared, amazed at his reflection. > > > > With each passing moment, his true nature sank in and the realization > of the > illusion he had been living with became clearer. And then, when his > doubts > and questions were settled, he let out a great roar. It was a roar of > awakening, as he realized his true nature and the released his > " goat-self. " > > > > So, my point is that becoming despondent over how unfulfilling our > false > self is, is healthy. As long as we believe that the ego can win and > get us > what we want in life, we tend to follow that hope. If you're > interested in > the truth; if you're really serious about this Self-realization stuff > then > giving up on that hope, even if it means entering a state of utter > breakdown > and collapse, is progress. > > > > Switching gears here: Can you see how, looking out that window, > imagining > the lives those people are leading, you are going into the realm of > stories > and concepts? Going into that realm takes us out of touch with reality, > which is always immediate, here, now, and always kinder than our > story. So > when you notice yourself being sad over the life that you're missing, > ask > yourself: > > * Can I just be here? > > * Can I just be with what is going on in this space? > > * What do I hear? > > * What do I see? > > * How does my body feel? > > * If this is as bad as it gets, can I be with this? > > > > You may indeed find that this practice prevents you from missing your > life. > If you think it would be helpful, you might print those questions out > and > put them on the wall so that you are reminded to come back to reality > when > you're lost in some story. > > > > Here's another idea for you. Write down one or two paragraphs stating > what > your problem is and then go ask a leaf or, a flower, a rock, a tree, > etc. to > give you advice and feedback. Write down the answer that you get. I > have > done this and received the most wonderful wisdom " from a leaf. " > > > > I'd love to hear what you get. > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.