"When nothing owns you, nothing can destabilize you. Life becomes lighter and more balanced, not because difficult things stop happening, but because you’re no longer at war with reality."
That is perfectly stated.
All we 'own' is our physical bodies, and even that is as temporary as a space suit servicing an astronaut on Earth. If more people were aware of death as a detachment from their experiences on Earth, leaving the material behind, Amazon would go bankrupt. But the moments we shared with others? Forever memories. Intention can mean everything.
This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
The ultimate form of happiness, then, is freedom. Freedom from the need for external validation, freedom from fear-based action. It’s not about feeling artificially elevated or maintaining a forced smile. It’s about the absence of inner turbulence when you stop needing approval and stop being driven by anxiety.
Indeed!!! Thank you for writing and sharing, Gurdeep!
I have always thought that the "pursuit of happiness' phrase in the Declaration of Independence to be one of the follies of the founding of the USA. This pieces supports and expands why I feel that way. Thank you.
Our reactions to the expectations of others, sometime make us prisoners of our own making. We are mostly pressured by societal “norms” in that we are taught to react in certain ways during specific events in our lives that invoke a response. If we don’t react or act the way people expect us to, then we feel guilty, anxious, or frightened that who we are doesn’t fall in line with others therefore we will not be accepted and be excluded leaving us feeling alone and shunned. Trying to live up to these expectations is tantamount to setting ourselves up for failure. We can never satisfy the psychological needs of others, we can never expect to make people happy or totally fill the voids that people may be experiencing, our responsibility is to ourselves and our pursuit of our own happiness. By helping ourselves in return we are prepared to help others who may need our stable emotional maturity. This choice too is not a selfish act, it’s an act of self preservation making us capable to reach out to others, feeling more secure in our own skin giving us the confidence to endure whatever we may experience on the road of our life.
"When nothing owns you, nothing can destabilize you. Life becomes lighter and more balanced, not because difficult things stop happening, but because you’re no longer at war with reality."
That is perfectly stated.
All we 'own' is our physical bodies, and even that is as temporary as a space suit servicing an astronaut on Earth. If more people were aware of death as a detachment from their experiences on Earth, leaving the material behind, Amazon would go bankrupt. But the moments we shared with others? Forever memories. Intention can mean everything.
Peace is solid.
Thank you for returning to write.
This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
From Coleman Barks translation of Rumi
The ultimate form of happiness, then, is freedom. Freedom from the need for external validation, freedom from fear-based action. It’s not about feeling artificially elevated or maintaining a forced smile. It’s about the absence of inner turbulence when you stop needing approval and stop being driven by anxiety.
Indeed!!! Thank you for writing and sharing, Gurdeep!
oh yes someone said the j word
I have always thought that the "pursuit of happiness' phrase in the Declaration of Independence to be one of the follies of the founding of the USA. This pieces supports and expands why I feel that way. Thank you.
Our reactions to the expectations of others, sometime make us prisoners of our own making. We are mostly pressured by societal “norms” in that we are taught to react in certain ways during specific events in our lives that invoke a response. If we don’t react or act the way people expect us to, then we feel guilty, anxious, or frightened that who we are doesn’t fall in line with others therefore we will not be accepted and be excluded leaving us feeling alone and shunned. Trying to live up to these expectations is tantamount to setting ourselves up for failure. We can never satisfy the psychological needs of others, we can never expect to make people happy or totally fill the voids that people may be experiencing, our responsibility is to ourselves and our pursuit of our own happiness. By helping ourselves in return we are prepared to help others who may need our stable emotional maturity. This choice too is not a selfish act, it’s an act of self preservation making us capable to reach out to others, feeling more secure in our own skin giving us the confidence to endure whatever we may experience on the road of our life.
This is perfect! I am learning about the 5 thieves and the 5 virtues. So timely. Thank you!
Short, sweet, and to the point - might just be my favourite post of yours so far. Feeling grateful for this insight<3