Coping, in a World Foreign to Itself

 

As long as we fear, as long as we’re anxious about our present, our past or our future conditions, we are the creator of the most difficult conditions to make any progress on any path.

 

In a world where each person is not only more distant from one another, both emotionally and mentally, we find people concurrently more distant from his/her own presence, from simply just being.

How do people who wish to live, think and be differently than this fairly new life and living model cope in a world increasingly foreign to itself and others?

How can we be more open, with mind and with our spirit, honoring that open spirit while simultaneously honoring the condition of those around us, be them strangers or even in our inner circles?

How do we intercede on others’ behalf without stumbling on those directly in our life when it is these people perpetrating some perceived wrong, be that perception accurate or misguided?

This is the struggle of maintaining open awareness and presence in modern-day society. If we lose this struggle, we may lose ourselves. If we win this struggle, we may lose everyone.

That is the fear, that the only way to win this struggle is to leave everyone and everything we know behind. Walking down a path, full of fear and anxiety, is a certain way to fulfill any fear prophecies we can create.

We must let go of the fear. We must douse the light of fear in our lives. This doesn’t mean we will encounter no seemingly insurmountable obstacles, but it will mean we meet those obstacles with open mind and open heart. As long as we fear, as long as we’re anxious about our present, our past or our future conditions, we are the creator of the most difficult conditions to make any progress on any path.