Putting trust in what currently challenges us

I went to our weekly meditation and contemplation session on Tuesday and this time there was a newcomer. He shared his lessons learned from several difficult years in which many diseases pestered him. He suffered from various serious infections, going practically blind and more. He believed firmly that behind all great, and so called random, challenges in life there is great meaning: they are there to force us into changing for the better or to parish. At a point in his life, when he felt broken and dependent on others in his blindness, he went inward. In his words he was forced to become humble, thankful for all that others give and all that existence brings. While waiting for others to do this or that for him he realized that things happen when they are supposed to happen. Nothing bad happened if he had to wait a little.

We are so accustomed to force our will onto everything and everybody: we can't even wait a little in peace and acceptance of the other. All we are busy with are our egoistic worries, our money, our image and other so called needs.

I greatly enjoyed listening to his currently healthy, humble and peaceful man and the valuable lessons he learned. I recognize the rat race in my day-to-day and realize that in moments of acceptance of the pace of life - of what is - I am so much more happy, peaceful and complete than the rat race has ever given me.

The rat race is an egotistic addiction, focusing on mental concepts, because in the here and now - where our happiness and fulfillment lie - there is no place for "I'm better because of X", "I need" and "I don't want". In the here and now we are equal to all. The mind is especially made to do things like analyzing, comparing and therefore it is inherently unsatisfied with things as they are. It is here to solve practical things and protect us when necessary. This is necessary to survive on this planet and in society, but it has overtaken us. We derive our sense of self from it. We believe we are the noise in our head, the non-stop comparisons of superfluities and the resulting incomplete conclusions. The identification with this is so strong, that we run around in utter stress as if something's wrong.

Based on what exactly are our minds entitled to judge what is and what isn't supposed to be? Existence has been around for infinity, our current minds have been here for time measurable in decades. My advice is the following: trust what happens, take it light, you're already alright.