Accepting What Is

Change is a constant in the universe. All of us need to learn how to adapt to shifting circumstances.  If we are unwilling to change, we begin to die.  We can tenaciously hold on to the past, refuse to budge, and make ourselves depressed and miserable to be around.  But if we are willing to try, be open, and expand into something new, we find that we have increased energy, renewed enthusiasm, and excitement in life.

Change can be difficult. But if you look at it as an opportunity to find new ways to expand and share love and consciousness, it is not  bad.

People who believe that change is there for a reason, a purpose, tend to have fewer problems. They believe that change happens when we're able to use it for our own growth.

Clinging is resisting change. When we cling to some person, mental state, or object, it denies the reality that everything will change one day.  Everything. Everything that you now own will someday belong to someone else. The clinging represents our fear of change.  We're more prone to anxiety and depression. When we resist change, we suffer.

Enjoy things in the moment. We shouldn’t be disappointed when that circumstance changes. Don't judge it as being "good" or "bad." It just is. Moving from one moment to the next in total acceptance allows us to surrender to the cycles of life. Don’t try to force outcomes — let them happen. Be open to what emerges.

Security is an illusion. We have no way to predict the future. We cannot control it. We can try (and we do try), but we fail, all the time. We chalk it up to “plans gone wrong” or making mistakes or not planning for contingencies, but the truth is, we just need to admit we can’t control or predict the future.

So letting go involves accepting “what is” without become pessimistic, complacent, angry or passive. For example, I can accept all four seasons of the year without feeling a need to change a season (as if I could) just because I would prefer to have spring twelve months of the year. If I cling to the thought that winter is bad and spring is good, I cause my own mental suffering. And the seasons remain the same. The only thing that has changed is my state of mind.

There is no fulfillment through desire. Desire only results in more desire. Thus, more suffering. For the past decade I have decided that I can live in harmony with “what is.” And I’ve only reminded myself of that 100,000 times or so.  It has been such a journey.

As you catch yourself judging, and wishing for different — and we all do it — try a different approach: accept, and understand. It might lead to some interesting results.

“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” - Lao Tzu