Rigged In Our Favor
"Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor." — Rumi
Dear Friends,
I am all for acknowledging the pain and difficulty in life, and the numerous personal and global challenges we face — from climate change, to war, to emerging AI. There is no escaping challenges in life, and they also seem to be building.
At the same time, it is easy to get weighed down by the world. I find myself at times thinking the world is against me (why is this is happening to me, how come I do not have what this other person has).
Essentially, thinking, “If only life was like this instead of more like that, all would be good.” Whatever is happening should not be happening, I think.
This is totally understandable at one level, but on another level, it is very hard on our nervous system to live in a constant state of “things are just not right.” We are in a subtle and continuous agitation, which makes it hard to act wisely.
We just held two events, Wisdom & AI and The Future of Well-Being, and it was a joy to be with people in person again. And it did not take long after the events, however, to find myself in “problem mode,” after reading the news. I was right back in.
We both complain about our unhappiness, and also become addicted to it. It is more comfortable to live focused on problems.
In the US, as our presidential election nears, about 69% have been “frustrated” and said the race has left them “anxious.” I am anxious too. At the same time, how do we relate to this unknown? What can we control and what cannot we control?
And this, it seems, is our opportunity:
To be present right now, in the only moment we know, with clear eyes about what needs tending to, and also know the universe is vast and so much is uncertain.
I cannot say for sure, but I think it is at least worth a shot to inquire: What if everything was rigged in our favor?
What if this moment now is OK, and we can both work hard for the change we want to see in the world through voting and political activism, and also know no matter our political views, we can be sure of one thing: life will offer us opportunity-after-opportunity to work with and get insight into our own mind.
Blessings,
SOREN
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Thank you Soren, for your intentions and sympathy.
It take a momentary ability to get ones brain work for us vs. being highjacked by negativity. Mindfulness is a realization point - but it is still rooted in a vision especially under Buddhist teachings (I am far from an expert in the area but I have been practicing meditation in a variety of forms for over two decades) that is embracing difficulties and challenges, as a teaching and is riding an ideal of what mindfulness can be. - I have been part of the positive intelligence coaching community - and it introduced me to micro interception of negativity to boost the right brain - meditation as a practice and ideal is crucial in this life time - however its practice and classic trajectory - may not be as efficient as it used to be.
Thank you Soren. Your words always reach the place inside of me that knows impermanence. We will get through this. I'm rigging life in my favor.