Creating safety for yourself and others
This weekend I attended a Buddhism class where we discussed a couple of questions - what would you do if you feel safer and how can you make others feel safer. The discussion revealed that nearly all of us felt unsafe and we'd live our lives more happily, generously, and ambitiously if we felt safer.
Life is inherently unsafe and conditional. If you don't eat, you die. If you don't stay healthy, you die. If you don't do your job well, you'll be fired. If you aren't useful, others may not help you. If you don't have caretakers as you grow old and dependent, life is going to be tough.
So, how do you create more safety for yourself and others in this world?
The ultimate trick is to always accept life and the present moment as it happens, with no judgement. Every feeling of worry is because of an internal desire or expectation, and if you end that desire, you end the feeling. This requires a lot of practice - of awareness and renunciation.
Find and immerse yourself in communities and relationships of unconditional love and acceptance. And create such relationships and communities with others around you by offering kindness and love.
Keep your needs - physical, financial, emotional - to a minimum so that you can easily satisfy them. Derive joy and happiness from simple things.
Be gentle, with your judgement, words and actions, on yourself and others. We are all learning to live in this strange world.
Life is inherently unsafe and conditional. If you don't eat, you die. If you don't stay healthy, you die. If you don't do your job well, you'll be fired. If you aren't useful, others may not help you. If you don't have caretakers as you grow old and dependent, life is going to be tough.
So, how do you create more safety for yourself and others in this world?
The ultimate trick is to always accept life and the present moment as it happens, with no judgement. Every feeling of worry is because of an internal desire or expectation, and if you end that desire, you end the feeling. This requires a lot of practice - of awareness and renunciation.
Find and immerse yourself in communities and relationships of unconditional love and acceptance. And create such relationships and communities with others around you by offering kindness and love.
Keep your needs - physical, financial, emotional - to a minimum so that you can easily satisfy them. Derive joy and happiness from simple things.
Be gentle, with your judgement, words and actions, on yourself and others. We are all learning to live in this strange world.
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