LG4N
i've learned no lessons from loves lost. each turn i take to shovel earth into a grave turns life a little less enjoyable.
Well... I must admit that I have learned.
Maybe I'm not as together or as .... 'something'... as your perspective has allowed you, LG4N... (again, no judgment here...) I can't even
enumerate all the lessons I have learned, insight I have received, gifts of the heart that were given, or moments of profound love I was witness to by taking care of loved ones in need. I don't regret those times for a moment and have felt blessed by them. These are my treasures. Life, for me, has become more enjoyable, because my appreciation of certain things and people has increased. My realization of the short time we have of sharing love has increased.
i will always have preferred what might have been.
I have been in that place before - preferring what might have been to what is, but the point is, I don't have control over that. I can't always change what is. I must make the most of what I have, of what is. To me, the pain of unrequited love, or wishing for something that plainly
isn't is far more painful than finally surrendering to what is.
be careful not to get too attached to detachment, because sometimes detachment is only denial. whether you create good karma or bad, it is still karma keeping you on the wheel.
I understand. I think I have plenty of lifetimes left on this wheel! I don't have a full understanding of karma just yet. I finished reading
Karma for today's traveler by Phra Bhasakorn Bhavilai yesterday, and I found it rather disturbing, actually. My only hope is to continue doing more good things than ignorant ones, and hope for the best!
khan phrased it so well that it is worth repeating: "i will not suffer to develop someone else's karma."
Gosh, I would love to have the control over my suffering and in which circumstances it shows up that you and Khan profess...
I am humbled at your skill!
Seriously.
Perhaps I am simply a schmuck, but... no matter how much I learn, I still suffer. No matter how much I grow, I still suffer. Maybe not in the same ways or in the same areas, but...
I still suffer. I grab the joy when I can, and I dedicate my suffering. My compassion has increased greatly because of the suffering I have gone through. I dunno... I guess I just don't have that part of my life together just yet.
i only stopped in for a good time. when life is no longer fun for me, i too will take my leave.
I have to smile at myself here, because this is a point of view that has escaped me
completely here this lifetime. When I look back over my life, I see moments of fun along with my sufferings, and sufferings along with my moments of fun. The joy and fun are resting places and the suffering carves the marble of who I am. If I 'only' had fun, I feel that I would be shallow, unable to relate to others in need or unable to respond in a meaningful manner. If I only suffered, I wouldn't be able to roar hilariously at a joke, or be spontaneous, or dream bigger dreams for myself to grow into.
Yes... I somehow think I have many many lifetimes here to sort things through. sigh...
Akaisha
Author,
The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement