Photo from Wikimedia
No being comes close to taking human life more than humans.
Or making human life more miserable.
We argue, saying the very things that will alienate our goal.
We long for love, when what we do stifles it.
We crave success so much we fail to see it flying near us like a butterfly.
There are logical reasons:
We mismanage expectations.
Expecting what is unrealistic from those we love, and walking away unfulfilled.
We take too much for granted.
It’s our inner enemy. When was the last time we were thankful? For health? And home?
And enough food on the table? Or mindful of people who lack the privileges we have?
We fail to appreciate the small things that beautify our daily lives.
We fail to smell the roses on the path. Or wonder at a sunlit cloud.
We beat ourselves up for not being perfect. And who is? Duh.
And we over-think. We second-guess our choices.
Make a decision by the best voice you can hear (within you), and go with it.
Work is one of life’s truest blessings.
Be proud of who you are and what you do, because you know you do the best you can.
That is, no matter what the task, do it with the pride of a master.
Enjoy the way.
How often does the greatest pleasure come from the pursuit and not the having?
Love your enemy, for your enemy is you.
Or, as Wayne Dyer says, “Try examining every relationship in which you feel judgmental thoughts of anger and hatred. Replace those thoughts with energies of acceptance, kindness, cheerfulness, and love. You will have to make a personal commitment to, first of all, notice what you are feeling and then exercise your ability to choose to send love.”
Another way to state it: Among people who hate us, dwell free from hating back.
Or be contrarian.
And choose to send bitterness and hatred toward anything and anyone that doesn’t perfectly agree with your worldview.
You’ll pay the price: In your stomach and in your heart.
There’s a story to be told, based on the essence of JAPANESE ARCHETYPES.
You are traveling in a desert. And don’t ask why, or how you got there. Just accept.
And five animals are traveling with you. Remember: It’s not for you to ask why.
They are, in their own way beautiful, and beneficial, and:
A lion.
A cow.
A horse.
A sheep.
A monkey.
To escape the desert you are going to have to ditch one of them. (Remember!)
Which one do YOU choose? (There’s no RIGHT ANSWER. Only YOUR ANSWER.)
With four animals left you travel on.
But sooner or later you realize that to escape the desert you must ditch a second one.
Keep track of your choices.
A little further on, that’s right, you have to ditch a third.
And, finally a fourth.
Now, you have a list.
And that is the hidden treasure of the story.
Because it has enabled you to weigh yourself.
This desert represents hardship.
The lion represents pride.
The cow represents physical needs.
The horse represents passion.
The sheep represents friendship.
The monkey represents child.
Step by step the story shows you what you most cling to in your life.
