LIFE – Let It Flow Easy!!
As Mark continued to run behind Max, he had three options – my teacher continued. The First option he had was to drop the leash and let Max run. It was easy and definitely would have saved Mark, but that had the inherent risk of Max getting knocked down by the oncoming traffic. It wasn’t a risk free option. Probably at the first instance, a lot many of us would be inclined to choose this option when life takes us for a run but its perhaps not the best option available. Very often in life, when we feel bogged down by our mortgages, financial obligations, children, our jobs or business, financial melt down, emotional demands of family, relatives and friends, or careers or exams that we have chosen, that leaving everything and going to the mountains away for weeks, or even becoming a monk feels the right thing to do but it’s not something that’s practically feasible or simply put, running away from the obligations does not feel the legit thing to do. We just can’t choose to run away from all those things that we chose to bring into our lives.
The Second option was for Mark to continue running behind Max, continue shouting at him to stop, hoping that sense would prevail into Max’s tiny little head and he would listen to his master and eventually Stop. But that meant placing bet on “hope” as the strategy which also meant that if Max continued to run, both their lives would have been in danger. My teacher always says, “don’t work things that do not work”. Hoping that one day things would change, an abusive or addicted spouse would change their behaviour, the financial situation would change, or life would change as such is not a strategy that one who chooses to live by when one chooses to live like a MASTER of their lives.
The Third option was for Mark to remember that he was Max’s master and all that was required was for Mark to gather all his strength to pull the leash that would have mildly choked Max and would have sent a clear message to Max to STOP running.
All wise Masters have said, that when life starts taking us out for a run, as Masters of our life, we have to take a step back, PAUSE and reflect and choose our options regarding the things that we would like to bring into our life. This basically means, giving up with the “why me” victim mind of first blaming self, then everyone and everything else in our life for our unhappiness, difficulties in life. Choosing to live like a Master involves the three step approach.
STEP 1 : ACCEPTANCE for whatever life has brought before us at that point in time. This is about practicing non judgement of a situation or event as good or bad, right or wrong, giving up the unconscious habit of “labelling”. Its about taking ownership of our past actions and the results that those actions have brought before us. This is what the Serenity prayer requires us to do “ God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change , courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.” If you don’t like the word God, replace it with the higher energy or Source or the higher consciousness that makes our heart beat, our stomach to digest, our hair to grow, which is the common thread that runs in all living and non-living things.
STEP 2 : OPTIONS – figuring out what are the options available to us to help us change what is before us.
STEP 3 : ACTION the option that we have chosen that we believe is the best for us given the set of circumstances. And most importantly let go of the attachment to the outcome.
Real Freedom is all about being the Master of our own lives. Knowing that we are all co-creators experiencing the process of creation all the time through and within us.