I’ve been in one of those rumination loops on “meaning”, “purpose”, “the path”, and other nebulous aspects of sentient beings that both fuel and confound our existence.
The more experience I gain, the more evident it becomes that pain and struggle are both inevitable and essential.
When I have long stretches of “good” days, I can see how quickly I start to take them for granted–human nature. But when I have long stretches of “bad” days, I am longing for a respite and find myself in my morning prayer asking for relief.
The strange thing that I’ve realized, is that without pain, loss, failure, grief, or disappointment, the good days would cease to have any meaning or purpose. And so the logical conclusion is learning how to cultivate a sense of gratitude for the difficulties of life. I think this is one of the things we all know deep down, but we’re never truly taught how to build that muscle. We’re mostly shown by way of example our elders how to complain, moan, get angry, or play victim, none of which help anyone. There is a stark contrast between saying we’re grateful for darkness and really being grateful for it. I can’t say I’ve found the secret, but I can say that the more awareness I bring to it, the easier it gets.
The next time you’re having a “bad” day, try and remember that the “hard times” are what give meaning to the “good times”. The hard way is the right way. Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life. You always get to choose your destiny, so choose wisely.
“All is vanity”, says the Bible. “All is now”, says Zen. “All is dust”, says the desert.
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