We’ve all been there — wishing fervently that pain was not part of the equation. But pain is always part of the human journey. There’s no getting around it. The problem isn’t so much with the pain. It’s with our misguided conditioning that pain shouldn’t be there; that a “good” life, a “happy” life, has…
Read MoreMany people get seduced into thinking that if they are walking a spiritual path, they will obtain some sort of divine protection from anything that is too difficult and too painful. The fact is, the spiritual path to self-awareness is difficult. No matter how you slice it, it comes up difficult. It’s good to know this…
Read MoreIn the course of anyone’s lifetime, “bad” things are guaranteed to happen. Yet there is nothing wrong with these “bad” things—nor is there anything “right” about them either. They simply happen. They are neither good nor bad, right nor wrong, and human judgment, as always, is best left out of the equation. It is much more…
Read MoreYou can never do it enough. It will often bring surprises. Most times we hate to do it. We’d rather create our own fantasies. We’d rather swim in the pool of our own beliefs, and wrap ourselves up in the cozy blanket of our own opinions. We’d rather be in denial. We’d rather medicate. We’d…
Read MoreAs a former New Yorker, I understand the drive to rush. New Yorkers are always in a hurry. And they walk fast. I considered myself a successful New Yorker because I could outwalk almost anyone next to me. I could cross the street faster, get to the bus stop quicker, dodge my way through a subway crowd…
Read MoreWe consume an enormous amount of energy judging others and judging ourselves. A day doesn’t go by when we do not pass judgment. This is no accident. We’re conditioned to judge. Judgment is encouraged because it oils the joints that support the status quo and the existing power structures. Like programmed robots, we dive daily and dutifully into…
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