Well-being
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost.” ~ American diplomat Eleanor Roosevelt
Do you know what you live for? Regardless of who you are, the answer comes out the same: you live for those moments when you feel intimately connected to something other than yourself. The emotional zing may be felt as love or bliss, but the generalized sensation of these experiences is enjoyment. In essence, you live for entertainment.
You’ve met people who don’t have a clue; or someone who has a grasp but is looking at a situation the wrong way. In either instance, they suffer from the wrong perspective.
Beyond sheer dimness, the clueless are blocking their own way with misguided beliefs, whereas malcontents are seething by seeing problems without looking for the opportunities which lurk underneath. These people have limited their own field of vision: the incognizant by not seeing what is, and the disheartened by not imagining what could be, or not taking the perceived tragedy for the comedy that it is. Folly is what fools do best.
You already know the importance of existing in actuality (not fantasy) and looking at events from a constructive perspective. Take the next step. Only by living in clarity can you minimize your discomfort and maximize your enjoyment.
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From infancy we seek to understand. We do so first out of wonder, then out of curiosity, then for control. The one constant for everyone is that we want things to go our way and do what we will to make it so.
When we sought our first bit of independence, we were astonished to learn that the world does not cater to our whims. This age is called the “terrible twos” for good reason. With the first flushes of frustration comes rage: the outrageous discovery that we may be thwarted, and, on top of that, that our own emotions can beleaguer us!
Our next big childhood lesson is one we long strive to master: that control is a matter of self-control. We must thwart our own impulsiveness and exercise patience to accomplish our goals.
Another aspect of control we struggle with is learning what we may, or should even try to, control beyond our own mind. It is a significant step to wisdom to practice external control judiciously, and to accept what is beyond one’s ability to alter.
