THE BLESSINGS OF SORROW No one wakes up, thinking: I’d like several helpings of sorrow, today! Are you a masochist? Do you? Do you wake up, with a longing for sorrow? But, we all experience sorrow, from time to time. In the many conflicts and disappointments occasioned by interacting with our fellow-men, or even with the elements. In fact, some people are like ‘sorrow magnets.’ They reel from one problem to another, and attract more problems, as if they’ve been cursed by an evil witch (I’d better change that, to wizard, I meant an evil wizard… before the feminists cast a spell on me). I was a ‘sorrow magnet’ at a point. A lot of people think I’m highly cerebral. They have an incredible faith in my abilities, they even overate my abilities. But for there was a time when I was floundering. Thankfully, the fates have become more lenient with me. If I have the guts to write a book with the title, THE HARBINGER OF BLISS. Please believe me, the fates like me better, now. And, it has nothing to do with being smart. Nothing. I had to journey deep into my inmost being. But, let’s leave my story, for when I write my memoir. Are you okay with that? Nice. Let’s get back to the theme. Sorrow has many causes, and it will continue to flourish luxuriantly, as long as we nourish superficiality in our souls. Superficiality is often the harbinger of sorrow. Smart people, especially the type that have been programmed into devoting almost all their lives, to developing their intellects, are often, the most superficial of men. Sorrow, we think, is often externally induced. We often refrain from seeing our role in the psychic turmoil we’re going through. It’s easy to always blame external factors…but, it’s also a surefire recipe for being stagnant. At times, we also make ourselves unhappy. We’re the architects of our afflictions. And, I’m not thinking of masochists, here. At times, we naively design grandiose plans, that we do not have the capacity to realize. We want to sprint, when we have not mastered how to crawl. Someone who cannot manage 500k properly is obsessed with raising 5m! Our vanity and conceit helps us in building castles in the air. We want to construct magnificent and sustainable edifices…but our foundations are often superficial, false, and weak. We end up with a harvest of frustrations, pains, and sorrows. We harvest sorrow when we tow the path of self-will. We think we know, so we throw all caution and humility to the winds, and we gallop towards El Dorado. Only to realize that what we saw was Fata morgana! A mirage. An alluring illusion! It’s painful, when we watch our dreams crumbling before our very eyes. It’s harrowing, if we’re vain and conceited. We hope our fellow-men know nothing of our failure. The air becomes tinged with sorrow. At times, we have unrealistic expectations, we make subtle or direct demands on others. Demands that we do not impose on ourselves, or that we secretly believe we cannot attain! Have you noticed, for example, in a lot of relationships, that the unfaithful partner is, often the one who demands faithfulness! Most times, we even get close to the wrong people. We ignore the subtle whispers and warnings of our intuition…only to become engulfed with sorrow. Some of us have even experienced tragic events, or some are currently going through some, now. Sorrow is unnatural. It’s alien to the divine ordinance. It’s man’s construct. It’s unnecessary. But, seeing as it happens, often, are there benefits to it? Fortunately, the answer is, yes. In the paragraph above, you’d see that I wrote that, sorrow, is not meant to be part of our lives. You’d also recall that in the scriptures, in Genesis, we were told, that after creation, the ALMIGHTY surveyed all, and only goodness existed. Everything was good. That’s vital. We ought to etch it on our spirits. The ALMIGHTY is incapable of evil or generating what brings forth sorrow. It is alien to him! And in that, we have an infallible touchstone, wherever you see what is evil or wrong, wherever you see that which brings forth sorrow, it’s the work of man! Sorrow is proof of our distancing from the divine will, because only joy and peace lies in the will of the UNCREATED LIGHT! At times, sorrow comes from ignorance. In fact, one could opine that all sorrow stems from ignorance. There are certain experiences that are meant to edify us, to make us stronger, to lift us unto a higher plane of experiencing, but, if we lack insights about the essence of being, we may start beating up ourselves. We may be sad when we ought to be exulting. At times, through a higher guidance, what we’ve deified is crushed before our very eyes. We stupidly think of it as ‘loss’…when it’s grace! Our superficiality blinds us to the deeper meanings we’re meant to draw from the experiences. In some cases, certain experiences are placed before us, in order to make us stronger, to enrich our spirits, because if we’re trusting and obedient, we’d be transformed for the better at the end of the day. Most sorrow comes when we’re reaping the fruits of what we’ve sown! There’s usually a long time lag between when we sow the seeds and the time of harvest. So, we often forget the nature of the seed, which we’ve sown. We’re shocked by the nature of the harvest. If we’ve sown evil, do we expect to reap that which is good? Wake up! But, the sorrow can be transformed into joy, when we realize that life is not being punitive or vindictive. Pain can be transmuted into joy, when we accept our failure, and contribution to the harvest, and when we’re determined to be truly reformed. Life is not sadistic and cruel like man. The ray of divine love penetrates life’s ‘harsh’ admonitions. Life is not intent on punishing us and casting us into the lake of sorrow. Oh no. It’s interested in molding us – so we become what we’re pre-ordained to become – loving, noble spirits – who spread joy, peace and all that’s pure, all around. Thus, life is always using sorrow and joy, as feedback mechanisms, in its task of educating us. So, sorrow, is often a warning that we’ve deviated from the ideal. An indication that we or those were intimately connected with have strayed from the path to bliss. The more earnest we become about our spiritual quest, the more animated our lives will become, because we will become more conscious, we will come alive, and all that we’ve sown will also beg for closure. Wed be able to draw deeper meanings from all experiences, instead of staying on the superficial lane of complainers and those who love to shirk responsibility for all their actions. Lifes admonitions and feedback systems are all designed for our progress. At times, most times, were given a taste of that which weve sown. It’s not crushing; it’s the immutable imperative of atonement. We can move to a higher plan of experiencing if we have the right inner attitude. The inconceivable love of the UNCREATED LIGHT is only focused on what benefits our spirits, so, we can gain from all experiences, no matter their nature. So, let’s pay attention to the nature and quality of the seeds we’re constantly sowing with our intuitions, words, and tangible deeds. Lets exert more control on our selves. I’m determined to sow only that which is beautiful and noble. And, Id quickly stand up, when I fall. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have more helpings of joy. Excerpt from, THE HARBINGER OF BLISS, By Michael Newman
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 07:05:31 +0000
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