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The only way out is through.... |
| December, 2005 |
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Most people think that the best way to manage trouble is to avoid it. A more interesting approach is to use trouble as a way of understanding the nature of the personality and the nature of Being itself. There are two places to examine trouble: outside in the world, and inside at physical and/or emotional pain.
For example, you might look outside for your trouble and find it in your
marriage and your partner. Alternatively, you might look inside at a chronic
sense of dis-ease and discover the anger and the despair that are part
of your marriage.
Both inner and outer trouble exists. However, naming the inner emotions,
even if painful, creates the opportunity for a more authentic, genuine
response to life. This is especially likely if we accept the “fact-ness”
of our emotions. That means those emotions can no longer be denied. And
then, what was a vague sense of disquiet that led nowhere can become a
clearly felt, vibrant experience.
When we meditate, we learn how to make friends with our emotions. Then it’s more likely we’ll make friends with ourselves. The magic of meditation is that we open up to the moment, and that becomes a passionate, focused, and fuller experience of life.
