Wednesday 29 August 2007

Finding your true path

If one thing came up more than any other over the last few months is people asking about what their true path is.

And also many seem to have re-occurring cycles in their lives, almost the same things happening over and over again.

Over the last month since our summer camp I have delved deeply into a new cycle of learning, and have taken on board working out who I am and why I am here, it’s not an easy task, but……

By looking at yourself and learning from your past you can make the future the way it should be

If we are to continually learn and grow, there are two necessary conditions: gratitude and detachment. The gratitude is being thankful for whatever is in your life, good and bad, for it is there as a teacher. Some situations feel like a punishment and make you question why they're happening to you.

What did you do to deserve this in your life? It's not so much about deserving it, but rather to recognize patterns that are continually repeated. Once you learn the lesson inherent in the situations, these patterns will cease to exist.

The detachment is there to remove the emotional attachment you feel for the person or situation and to be able to more objectively view the situation.

This does not mean you no longer care for the person; just look at your relationship almost as an outsider. In this way, you are more likely to see the lesson than if you are reacting emotionally. These are not easy lessons to learn, and they require much practice. It may take a while. But the effort is extremely worthwhile. Different aspects and experiences converge to create an overall picture of who you are and what your place is in the world. Once you find yourself in the proper context, life no longer feels like a struggle. Not to say that no more struggles will occur.

Conflict is inevitable, both internally and externally. It is our reactions to these struggles that define us as a person. By understanding ourselves, we can increase trust in the decisions we make and the paths we choose to follow. Each of us must find their own way of connecting to the Universe. I encourage you to read about a variety of spiritual paths and journeys and see what feels right to you. It may be that the combination of several will create what you seek. By virtue of the fact that you are seeking an answer to this type of question indicates that you have already begun your spiritual journey and, in fact, have always been on a spiritual quest.

Setbacks will occur periodically, no matter how far down the path you may find yourself. They are put in your way to teach lessons and gain knowledge about yourself and to test your strength and resolve. You may choose to view setbacks as unnerving scenarios that are depressing and anxiety provoking, or as exciting opportunities to overcome adversity and be a much stronger person as a result. It is up to you which path you follow.

As a final thought on this for today;

If you are given two boxes and asked to choose either one, which should you pick?…… they are both the same size and colour and look identical……. So you pick one….. you open the box and find it contains some money, do you think wow thats great and go off happy or do you wonder what was in the other box?
I will post what your answer means after a few have responded to the questions, in the mean time see if you can work it out for yourselves.

7 comments:

myonlyphoto said...

Peter you wrote: "If you are given two boxes and asked to choose either one, which should you pick?…… they are both the same size and colour and look identical……. So you pick one….. you open the box and find it contains some money, do you think wow thats great and go off happy or do you wonder what was in the other box?"

Peter, thanks for this very educational post. Most of the time I answer something else, but I will try to be the first one. I just take the money and be happy. I think and I hope money is just representation. Sometimes its better to take what you got and make best of it. Suppose the second box had more money, then what, I will be asking myself why I did not choose the second -...Anna :)

AVP said...

If I am given the two boxes and specifically asked to choose one, I will pick one and stay happy with it. I would think about the second box but for a moment because I am human.

Nature Nut /JJ Loch said...

I would do both. Take the money and while I'm spending some and saving some, wonder what was in the other box.

Love your blog. I am on a journey to find my path in life. I was waywarded with carpal tunnel that won't go away even after surgery.

JJ

Shirley Twofeathers said...

What an interesting question. Two boxes... I pick one... what happens?

I would spend the rest of my life wondering what was in that other box. I might even spend all of my money getting a hold of that other box so that I could see what was in it.

Partly, I suppose, because I would wonder if there was something even better that I had missed out on, and partly out of curiosity... was it a rock? was it a dead man's hand? was it a ring? was it THE ring? was it diamonds? was it a frog? was it cobwebs? was it happiness?

Stuff like that drives me nuts because I always want to know the hidden things... Pandora - that's me.

Anonymous said...

Great flower smelling post Peter.

We would try our best to be in the moment and accept what was in the box for to compare and wonder about the other box would lead to resentment or jealousy.

Take what comes. Right?

Anonymous said...

I'd swap the box for the other one. It isn't that I'd be dissatisfied with whatever is in the one I got, but rather that the curiosity of not knowing what was in the other box would haunt me forever.

I love a good mystery, but not if I can't solve it.

Scruffyhippo said...

Thankyou all for your replies and comments, later on today i will be doing a special post that will include what your answers mean, and using your comments as part of that post, watch this space :)