Evolution Two – week twelve
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Hello Folks,
Hello Folks,
Recently, I found out that a friend of mine has cancer. This is a huge shock to me, because she takes pretty good care of herself...doesn't do the usual cancer causing activities like smoking or working for a nuclear plant. Alright, realistically I know that it can happen to anyone at any time regardless of how well they take care of themselves. It is a fact of life!
This feeling of life being too short to sweat the small things reminds me of the book call Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse about Buddha. He tells the story of a young man who lives in a castle full of wealth and youth and what seems to be perfect happiness and immortality. The young man leaves the castle and discovers that there is sickness, old age and death and basically all kinds of suffering. Because of his discovery (this is my theory of course), he decides there must be more meaning to life than all that he was experiencing. He becomes a monk (essentially) at first to liberate himself from suffering, maybe hoping he could somehow transcend it and when he couldn't really transcend it and realize it just was a part of life he becomes enlightened and discovers the middle way. Ok, so that is the very simplified version.
This feeling of life being too short to sweat the small things reminds me of the book call Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse about Buddha. He tells the story of a young man who lives in a castle full of wealth and youth and what seems to be perfect happiness and immortality. The young man leaves the castle and discovers that there is sickness, old age and death and basically all kinds of suffering. Because of his discovery (this is my theory of course), he decides there must be more meaning to life than all that he was experiencing. He becomes a monk (essentially) at first to liberate himself from suffering, maybe hoping he could somehow transcend it and when he couldn't really transcend it and realize it just was a part of life he becomes enlightened and discovers the middle way. Ok, so that is the very simplified version.
The point is that in the buddhist tradition there is a belief to hold death close to you. It sounds kind of morbid unless you turn it around and think of it as the preciousness of life. Today that is how I feel about my friend...how precious life is to realize that your body will eventually no longer sustain you. I am imagining myself in that position and also realizing how important gratitude is in the scheme of things.
When I focus on my blog and fitness goals and remember how grateful I am that i can exercise and breath and eat and afford to feed myself, cloth myself, pay my bills...etc....it makes meeting my goals seem very easy.
This is dedicated to my friend. I wish for her that she heals quickly and suffers very little.
Exercise: Free
Menu: Protein and veggies
Until next time…
Think, Believe, Act, Achieve
Dakota
Today’s Mantra: Live each day as though it were your last.
Exercise: Free
Menu: Protein and veggies
Until next time…
Think, Believe, Act, Achieve
Dakota
Today’s Mantra: Live each day as though it were your last.
