That's a powerful statement. I could choose to address this for me personally, on society as a whole, or even on a global level. For the purpose of this blog, I have elected to apply it directly to myself personally.
I think we can all agree that no one leaves this world alive. So what does this statement really mean? While I could still narrow the statement down further on how it applies to death or politics, I am going to go deeper than that. We can all agree that human beings suffer on many different levels. Many unjustly at that. For me, it means a lot of different things and not necessarily in a negative connotation. After all, You cannot recognize light without first experiencing darkness.
Perhaps my darkest days were that in which I was drinking. Through copious amounts of alcohol I tried to sever my connection with the outside world. It didn't work. I hurt not only myself but others as well. Which brings me to this-what exactly was I trying to shut out? I suppose I would have to say the conditions which all people face. I slammed the door shut on friends, family, coworkers, institutions and myself. Still it begs the question why? The general answer is sickness. Illness. Despair. Was I suicidal? No, not in the traditional sense (though I hoped for death in the end).
What I didn't realize then and have only begun to realize in the last four a half years is that life is the human condition. While we may try to avoid it, run from it, or hide altogether it cannot be escaped. The reality is that life is one big, messy, and beautiful mess. Humanity is one big, messy, and beautiful mess. I am learning to embrace life for what it is. It is beauty and it is pain. It is both easy and hard. Through the pain of my divorce, I have received the most loveliest of gifts.
One of my favorite quotes by Anais Nin describes life eloquently when she wrote:
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom".
Isn't that exactly what life is? Holding on to pain out of pure fear before accepting the beauty of surrender.
No comments:
Post a Comment