Stoic existence is avoiding emotions , not getting angry or tearful, avoiding emotional traps.
Drama is getting caught up in the emotions.
So what is the correct way to live life.
A man asked me the other day , do you love yourself. I had to ponder for a minute of course we all love ourselves to a degree. However after contemplation realized it not really about loving yourself, its about loving life.
Its all about life not self.
We exist to experience the drama and emotion , however it can be destructive to get caught up in them. We are all just actors in a divine play called life.
If we take a rose which is the perfect depiction of life , it has the fiery red flower in most cases and also the thorns. We need to experience the pain of the thorns and the soft petals - all of the rose.
In the past year I had totally eliminated anger from my feelings constantly meditating peacefully. However then not much was happening until my wife had an affair. I experienced the thorns and the pain of losing her. If I was totally wrapped up in self love it would have been devastating. I felt in the end it was all a part of the beauty of life. The drama was excruciating it did however add to the growth of my whole being. To be or not to be is this experience of the rose.
So should we all become monks and just experience the soft petals of the flower. Was the buddha correct in avoiding any desire that would lead to pain. I have to say No. This may come as a shock to most religions , everything that exists in life the petals and the thorns are needed. Worrying about whether we will feel pain if this happens or that is not about life. Protecting ourselves by becoming celibate from irrational relationships and totally devoting ourselves to a divine concept of petals is not life. We may be able to elevate the self by avoiding drama , becoming stoic will help.
The military and in the corporate society stoicism is desired. To become a finely tuned machine , to defeat an enemy without feeling , kill or fire people without emotion. This also goes on in the spiritual realm we take attacks upon us as a personal attack upon self. We learn to love self and that can destroy us. It will not destroy you if you just look and understand it is just another aspect of life.
As Shakespeare put it to be or not to be, that is the question. It is not do you love yourself or not.
When after a year of being in a peaceful bliss my life was turned upside down, the snow globe was shaken as my ex wife put it. I had different experiences and it was all a part of the beauty of life.
I am not saying the quiet peaceful contemplation was not good, it was. I also needed the drama to awaken me , it was all good. We quickly label things as good or evil , it is not about the good god or the evil satan, or attacking or enlightening self. It is about being , living and experiencing life.
To walk about in drab clothing all day avoiding conversation , protecting self as if self were a god. God is Spirit , life itself. If you want to find happiness , you will not find it in appeasing self or even self contentment, you will find it in the joy of life.
Jesus who was the perfect example of life, the rose felt the thorns, he also felt the softness of the petals, he wept. Jesus wept is one of the shortest verses. He did not come to bring us to a higher consciousness of self as some say, his mission was to show us the way to live life to have joy in all things. To not be totally sheltered , to be able to find joy and comfort when needed. He experienced the temptations , he experienced the humiliation all of the things life brings. If you have been through a divorce or a relationship breakup, it is humiliating it is humbling and you know what - it is ok. You are not defective , it is just another life experience , do not blame yourself.
Peace and joy to you,
Earl
Drama is getting caught up in the emotions.
So what is the correct way to live life.
A man asked me the other day , do you love yourself. I had to ponder for a minute of course we all love ourselves to a degree. However after contemplation realized it not really about loving yourself, its about loving life.
Its all about life not self.
We exist to experience the drama and emotion , however it can be destructive to get caught up in them. We are all just actors in a divine play called life.
If we take a rose which is the perfect depiction of life , it has the fiery red flower in most cases and also the thorns. We need to experience the pain of the thorns and the soft petals - all of the rose.
In the past year I had totally eliminated anger from my feelings constantly meditating peacefully. However then not much was happening until my wife had an affair. I experienced the thorns and the pain of losing her. If I was totally wrapped up in self love it would have been devastating. I felt in the end it was all a part of the beauty of life. The drama was excruciating it did however add to the growth of my whole being. To be or not to be is this experience of the rose.
So should we all become monks and just experience the soft petals of the flower. Was the buddha correct in avoiding any desire that would lead to pain. I have to say No. This may come as a shock to most religions , everything that exists in life the petals and the thorns are needed. Worrying about whether we will feel pain if this happens or that is not about life. Protecting ourselves by becoming celibate from irrational relationships and totally devoting ourselves to a divine concept of petals is not life. We may be able to elevate the self by avoiding drama , becoming stoic will help.
The military and in the corporate society stoicism is desired. To become a finely tuned machine , to defeat an enemy without feeling , kill or fire people without emotion. This also goes on in the spiritual realm we take attacks upon us as a personal attack upon self. We learn to love self and that can destroy us. It will not destroy you if you just look and understand it is just another aspect of life.
As Shakespeare put it to be or not to be, that is the question. It is not do you love yourself or not.
When after a year of being in a peaceful bliss my life was turned upside down, the snow globe was shaken as my ex wife put it. I had different experiences and it was all a part of the beauty of life.
I am not saying the quiet peaceful contemplation was not good, it was. I also needed the drama to awaken me , it was all good. We quickly label things as good or evil , it is not about the good god or the evil satan, or attacking or enlightening self. It is about being , living and experiencing life.
To walk about in drab clothing all day avoiding conversation , protecting self as if self were a god. God is Spirit , life itself. If you want to find happiness , you will not find it in appeasing self or even self contentment, you will find it in the joy of life.
Jesus who was the perfect example of life, the rose felt the thorns, he also felt the softness of the petals, he wept. Jesus wept is one of the shortest verses. He did not come to bring us to a higher consciousness of self as some say, his mission was to show us the way to live life to have joy in all things. To not be totally sheltered , to be able to find joy and comfort when needed. He experienced the temptations , he experienced the humiliation all of the things life brings. If you have been through a divorce or a relationship breakup, it is humiliating it is humbling and you know what - it is ok. You are not defective , it is just another life experience , do not blame yourself.
Peace and joy to you,
Earl
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