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Stop Changing.
My darling wife, Jane, pointed out that after I bathed, I neglected to wipe down the shower door and asked me to please do so. So, I started to do so.
Time passed.
Jane brought my attention to the medicine cabinet that I didn’t close all the way and she asked me to please do so. So, I started to do so.
Time passed.
Jane noticed that I did not pay heed to the rug in the middle of the bathroom being straight and asked me to please do so. So, I started to do so. And then I started to wonder what would be next.
(This spiritual-religious article is not really about Jane and my bathroom. It’s really about human nature.)
We all think, "I'll be more content when such and such will change."
I'm not suggesting that we force ourselves to accept reality when we are dissatisfied with it or that we don't do things that will improve the quality of our lives.
What I'm suggesting is that we notice this tendency to not be in the present and that we work at being in the present — even if we don't like it.
Blaise Pascal wrote:
We never care for the present moment. We are so foolish that we wander in times that are not ours, and never think of the only time that belongs to us; we are so frivolous that we dream of the days that are not, and thoughtlessly pass over the only one that exists. We never live, but hope to live; and since we are always preparing to be happy it is inevitable that we shall never be so.What's important is that we become aware of what we are doing and that we don't let our compulsion to change get out of control. We need to stop and take some time to accept the world as it is.
There is a saying by Ramana Maharshi that encapsulates this beautifully:
Wanting to reform the world without discovering one's true self is like trying to cover the hole world with leather to avoid the pain of walking on stones and thorns. It is much simpler to wear shoes.We need to stop thinking that we would be more content if only, and learn to be with reality as it is and ourselves as we are.
With love,
Rabbi Brian
And, if you care to, click here to see comments on the streetprophets site where this article also went up this week.
