For some of us the ebb and flow is subtle. There are those that the opposite is true. Each of us however attempt to control that pattern, each in our own way. These are the things that control our emotions. Some attempt to control with alcohol, drugs and other artificial means. Some employ faith. All of us struggle. But just what is the struggle all about ? I believe it is about making a difference. We all want to make a difference, to influence events and people. We all want to feel as though we have contributed something to the whole. To be a part of " it. " And just what is it ? That is the question that really needs to be answered. Being satisfied with the answer is the real struggle, That answer must satisfy our own desires as well as fulfill the expectations of society. A very difficult balancing act.
For the dramatic folks this struggle is played out in the public forum. You know the type, always telling of their problems and issues. These folks see everything as it affects them. They are aware of each instance, each bump in the road. Often they cannot see much beyond the problem at hand. They lack patience and understanding. Those folks quickly dismiss possibilities and go directly to a solution. The solution may or may not be beneficial to them. The important thing to these folks is to act ! For most of us we transition to a more measured and calm reaction to the challenges of life. We become " mellow. " There are those of us that become so mellow as to become platonic ! These are the extremes that we all may face.
The answer to all this lies in finding satisfaction. Can we be satisfied with whatever it is life has handed us, or the things we have obtained for ourselves ? The big question there being, do we feel cheated ? That is to say has life given you everything you feel you deserve ? Or has life just given you everything you have earned ? They are quite different things you know. That is where the question of satisfaction enters. We can rail against fate or accept it, the choice is ours. Are you satisfied with your contribution ? Is the largeness of the contribution more important than the benefit that that contribution has made ? What I mean is, celebrity versus anonymity. Is it better to have given a little to a lot, or everything to a few ? How to measure that contribution, indeed, how to measure the whole. For it is the whole that we need be concerned with. Our whole is what I am talking about. The whole of our being. As we age we tend to consider that whole more. That is why the ebb and flow becomes more subtle. We call that understanding. Acceptance of that understanding is what gives us peace. Just as the sea seeks the shore we all seek that peace. Some of us are the crashing waves of an angry storm while others are the calm. We all reach the shore and then recede. An ebb and flow. Give and take. A storm may change the shoreline overnight but the gentle lapping of the waves will change a continent over time. Consider the whole, we are all part of that.
For the dramatic folks this struggle is played out in the public forum. You know the type, always telling of their problems and issues. These folks see everything as it affects them. They are aware of each instance, each bump in the road. Often they cannot see much beyond the problem at hand. They lack patience and understanding. Those folks quickly dismiss possibilities and go directly to a solution. The solution may or may not be beneficial to them. The important thing to these folks is to act ! For most of us we transition to a more measured and calm reaction to the challenges of life. We become " mellow. " There are those of us that become so mellow as to become platonic ! These are the extremes that we all may face.
The answer to all this lies in finding satisfaction. Can we be satisfied with whatever it is life has handed us, or the things we have obtained for ourselves ? The big question there being, do we feel cheated ? That is to say has life given you everything you feel you deserve ? Or has life just given you everything you have earned ? They are quite different things you know. That is where the question of satisfaction enters. We can rail against fate or accept it, the choice is ours. Are you satisfied with your contribution ? Is the largeness of the contribution more important than the benefit that that contribution has made ? What I mean is, celebrity versus anonymity. Is it better to have given a little to a lot, or everything to a few ? How to measure that contribution, indeed, how to measure the whole. For it is the whole that we need be concerned with. Our whole is what I am talking about. The whole of our being. As we age we tend to consider that whole more. That is why the ebb and flow becomes more subtle. We call that understanding. Acceptance of that understanding is what gives us peace. Just as the sea seeks the shore we all seek that peace. Some of us are the crashing waves of an angry storm while others are the calm. We all reach the shore and then recede. An ebb and flow. Give and take. A storm may change the shoreline overnight but the gentle lapping of the waves will change a continent over time. Consider the whole, we are all part of that.
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