All the hurt in the world... what do YOU do?

[Anette L]

I don`t know if I`m just too sensitive, or if I haven`t learned to distance myself from everyone elses problems. (ha, well, they are in a way my problems too, if we`re all one and the same) What`s your take on this subject, how do you cope with the fact that there`s so much shit in this world? what do you do to make this world a better place?

 

I have ambivalent feelings on this. One part of me knows that I can only change myself, and that way make a positive impact on the world. Another part of me wants to cry with those who hurt, want to make them feel that someone understands. I have given up watching the news and reading newspapers, it`s just depressing as hell. I never feel that I do enough.. never feel I`m satisfied with the little I try to do, even if it`s all I do, all the time.

 

I sometimes wish I could scream out all the truths I feel I`ve found, but it just doesn`t feel right. Something in me tells me that everyone needs to walk their on path, and that they wont necessarily reconize something as a "truth" just because I do so. It`s so hard when you feel you have some keys to happiness, and people don`t listen. They are at a different place in their search for finding themselves, and for all I know they can be ahead of me.. I just know that the more I learn the less I know.

This turned out to be a post of mixed thoughts and subjects, but does anyone see where I`m going with this?

 

 

I`m sorry if this isn`t a tao subject, but please give me a tao-take on it

 

 

Love & light,

Anette

[gendao]

Hey, it's all Tao!

 

Well, I think your "Messiah complex" is common amongst spiritually-inclined folks.

 

But taking responsibility for others and the world is far too burdensome. This will later tend to cause various negative emotions, as you struggle with the immense frustrations and despair of such a Herculean task.

 

My suggestion is to:

 

Take responsiblity for yourself.

Let others take responsiblity for themselves.

Let "God" take responsiblity for the world.

 

You can still help others without assuming their personal responsibility.

 

 

Also consider psychological projection. When we try to help the world, we are really often just trying to help ourselves. Because the outside world serves as a screen that we project our own movies upon. So, if you follow the projection on the screen back to the projector, you will often find parallel root issues within you.

Edited May 25, 2008 by vortex

[Aetherous]

This is a huge topic.

 

I think the most important thing first of all is to find out what is our purpose in life. What makes living so worth it. My personal answer is to explore and have fun.

 

So it follows that the second most important thing is to find out if we're living the life we want to live. Am I exploring and having fun, or am I working a job that I hate and being really lazy and unmotivated? Am I smiling and laughing, or am I all tense, stressed and frowning? (I personally am still working on this step!)

 

So the third most important thing is to make sure that our own lives are on the right track. We should be living the lives we want to live. We should be happy (unless something horrible happens of course), motivated, interested, etc...if not, then of course something is wrong.

 

SO then the fourth most important thing, which is the point of this topic, is to help others follow the previous three steps. Spread your love and joy to everyone you meet.

 

Of course, it should be mentioned that there will be TONS of people who you won't meet. And most likely those people will be the ones that are hurting the most. They may be starving, dying of diseases, abused, etc. What can we do about them? Well it's up to you. Some people travel to help them in person...joining peace corps or whatever. Some donate money to charities. Some doctors go provide medical care for free. A lot can be done...I guess the biggest question is - are we willing to give up our own pleasures in life to help others get better? It's tough, and not for everyone.

 

There's enough work to do right where we're at though. Even well off people can be totally miserable.

[Sahaj Nath]

I don`t know if I`m just too sensitive, or if I haven`t learned to distance myself from everyone elses problems. (ha, well, they are in a way my problems too, if we`re all one and the same) What`s your take on this subject, how do you cope with the fact that there`s so much shit in this world? what do you do to make this world a better place?

 

I have ambivalent feelings on this. One part of me knows that I can only change myself, and that way make a positive impact on the world. Another part of me wants to cry with those who hurt, want to make them feel that someone understands. I have given up watching the news and reading newspapers, it`s just depressing as hell. I never feel that I do enough.. never feel I`m satisfied with the little I try to do, even if it`s all I do, all the time.

 

I sometimes wish I could scream out all the truths I feel I`ve found, but it just doesn`t feel right. Something in me tells me that everyone needs to walk their on path, and that they wont necessarily reconize something as a "truth" just because I do so. It`s so hard when you feel you have some keys to happiness, and people don`t listen. They are at a different place in their search for finding themselves, and for all I know they can be ahead of me.. I just know that the more I learn the less I know.

This turned out to be a post of mixed thoughts and subjects, but does anyone see where I`m going with this?

I`m sorry if this isn`t a tao subject, but please give me a tao-take on it

Love & light,

Anette

 

ooh,

 

i SO know what you mean.

 

 

 

i think it's a good idea for everyone to take a news fast for a while and see the impact it has on their internal landscape. useless, disempowering, damaging information, for the most part. and recognizing this doesn't at all mean that we close our hearts to the world.

 

i don't know if you ever saw the movie 'Dogma,' but at the very end of the movie, during the credits, there's a song by alanis morrisette called 'Still.' it's one of the greatest songs she's ever written. it's a three-part song, and you should really find a copy of it on-line, but here's the first part:

 

 

I am the harm which you inflict

I am your brilliance and frustration

I'm the nuclear bombs if they're to hit

I'm your immaturaty and your indignance

 

I am your misfits and your praised

I am your doubt and your conviction

I am your charity and your rape

I am your grasping and expectation

 

I see you averting your glances

I see you cheering on the war

I see you ignoring your children

And I love you still

And I love you still

 

 

 

...so in a crazy way, maybe all the hurt in the world can be seen as evidence of god's unconditional embrace.

brilliant. absolutely brilliant. this song struck a really strong chord with me.

 

 

Jesus wept. i'm no christian, but this is the shortest verse in the bible, and it's a true gem. even Jesus wept for the suffering of others. to be christ-like, to be buddha-like, is to be with joy AND with pain. but not with suffering. not with resistance (which i believe to be the root of suffering).

 

our spiritual practices plunge us into ever-present awareness on a regular basis, and in that state we can feel tremendous joy at the absolute perfection of all things and the silliness of all the minutia. there is no separation between anything. this creates a deep well of stillness and peace that never leaves. this is part of what we cultivate in consistent meditation.

 

but this is not at all an escape from the pain of the relative world that we all experience. part of the process of thinning the veils that separate us from realization of the ever-present is dissolving our defenses, being vulnerable and open. dissolving our denials and avoidances. and what we find is that we are actually open to MORE pain than before, but with the cultivation of ever-present alongside it, our ability to handle the pain grows even faster than our sensitivity to it. we become richer and more alive, in ALL dimensions.

 

 

so we can feel the hurt in the world more exquisitely than ever before, yet at the same time it burdens us less than ever before, too.

 

so i think it's totally within character to see and feel the pain of the world and cry so hard...

 

AND,

 

to see and feel the perfection and laugh in the joy of realizing that there really are no 'others' to save.

 

 

 

there is no one to save...

 

and i commit my life to saving them...

 

 

i laugh myself to tears.

 

...and i cry myself to sleep.

 

 

and i'll do it all again.

 

 

and that's all part of the richness and fullness of this absurdity that is life.

 

 

 

that's kinda how i see it, anyway.

[sheng zhen]

i laugh myself to tears.

 

...and i cry myself to sleep.

and i'll do it all again.

Wonderful!

[Yoda]

Awesome thread y'all!

 

Watch Attenborough's Mother Theresa documentary. One thing she says is that you have to be having fun and know how to smile and laugh and to bring that to others. Until you can do that, stay out of the kitchen.

 

There's not a lot of how-to in the vid, but we'll figure it out one way or another.

[Vajrasattva]

Well i think as you open energy and you develop a connection with the Universe, depending on your development and level of achievement the Universe will by itself put you to work.

 

I always think its MAN FOLLOWS EARTH , EARTH FOLLOW TAO

 

So if that is the Case earth nourishes and grows, gives, shelters, flows, strengthens, roots, etc

 

as should MAN if we truly follow TAO....then we must Follow Earth.

 

What is the point if developing CHI if you will not put it to good use?????? You essentially will end up being like the Universe which is the ultimate goal....what does the universe do with its energy?

 

Peace

Santiago

Edited May 26, 2008 by Vajrasattva

[mjjbecker]

..

Edited June 22, 2009 by mjjbecker

[xenolith]

A hundred fold is the magnitude of the gift to the self in proportion to the suffering of the person.

[sheng zhen]

Awesome thread y'all!

 

Watch Attenborough's Mother Theresa documentary. One thing she says is that you have to be having fun and know how to smile and laugh and to bring that to others. Until you can do that, stay out of the kitchen.

 

There's not a lot of how-to in the vid, but we'll figure it out one way or another.

You mentioning Mother Teresa reminded me of something she wrote that I used for inspiration many years ago. Notice the last sentence:

 

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

 

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

 

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

 

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

 

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

 

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

 

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

 

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

 

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

 

-Mother Teresa

[宁]

there is a tao sage, i forgot his name, he said that if everybody would mind their own business, the world would really be a better place

confucian and buddhist preachers criticised him, but still he has some followers that understood the depth of this idea

 

in short, my take on it is that suffering is a personal lesson, it's very personal, just try to take it away from someone and see what happens. it's as priceless as happiness

[Ian]

I don`t know if I`m just too sensitive, or if I haven`t learned to distance myself from everyone elses problems. (ha, well, they are in a way my problems too, if we`re all one and the same) What`s your take on this subject, how do you cope with the fact that there`s so much shit in this world? what do you do to make this world a better place?

 

I have ambivalent feelings on this. One part of me knows that I can only change myself, and that way make a positive impact on the world. Another part of me wants to cry with those who hurt, want to make them feel that someone understands. I have given up watching the news and reading newspapers, it`s just depressing as hell. I never feel that I do enough.. never feel I`m satisfied with the little I try to do, even if it`s all I do, all the time.

 

I sometimes wish I could scream out all the truths I feel I`ve found, but it just doesn`t feel right. Something in me tells me that everyone needs to walk their on path, and that they wont necessarily reconize something as a "truth" just because I do so. It`s so hard when you feel you have some keys to happiness, and people don`t listen. They are at a different place in their search for finding themselves, and for all I know they can be ahead of me.. I just know that the more I learn the less I know.

This turned out to be a post of mixed thoughts and subjects, but does anyone see where I`m going with this?

I`m sorry if this isn`t a tao subject, but please give me a tao-take on it

Love & light,

Anette

 

Seems to me like you've answered all your own questions. And very well too. And basically with this post, you're asking for a bit of back up, some acknowledgement that you're not the only one who feels it like this, and that it's really painful. So believe me, you're not !

 

One thing I've found that helps: don't try to help people unless they ask you to. Otherwise just set the best example you can. Make it clear, if you like, that you are generally willing to help people, so that they can ask if they want to. But never try to help anyone who doesn't want it. Makes things so much simpler.

 

I'm just now in the process of ending the best relationship of my life because I can't help her be happy. It's taken me about 18 months to admit it and still I want to try.

 

So anyway, you're not alone, and I think everything you've said is spot on.

 

Good luck,

I

[i_am_sam]

You mentioning Mother Teresa reminded me of something she wrote that I used for inspiration many years ago. Notice the last sentence:

 

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

 

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

 

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

 

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

 

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

 

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

 

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

 

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

 

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

 

-Mother Teresa

 

Words are easy.

 

For the sake of balance -

 

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?con...;articleId=7173

[mgd]

The Paradoxical Commandments were written by Kent M. Keith and published in 1968 but were attributed to Mother Teresa.

 

For those interested in the original version: http://www.kentmkeith.com/commandments.html

 

[Patrick Brown]

Edited May 26, 2008 by Patrick Brown

[Pero]

PB, if I have a knife and try to stab you, would you move away?

[Patrick Brown]

PB, if I have a knife and try to stab you, would you move away?

Err yes. So what's your point?

[Pero]

Err yes.

 

Why?

[Patrick Brown]

Why?

 

Just testing

[Pero]

 

Just testing

 

Ok, I don't get that.

 

Anyway, my point.. You talk about non-dualism a lot, there being no good or evil and such. I think you do know what is good and what is bad, you're just thinking too much. You see, you'd move away because you know it's bad if I stab you. But if I invite you out for a drink you'd go and be happy - good.

 

Non-dualism for most of us are just empty words.

[Patrick Brown]

Ok, I don't get that.

 

Anyway, my point.. You talk about non-dualism a lot, there being no good or evil and such. I think you do know what is good and what is bad, you're just thinking too much. You see, you'd move away because you know it's bad if I stab you. But if I invite you out for a drink you'd go and be happy - good.

 

Non-dualism for most of us are just empty words.

No it's all about flowing and dying is not flowing therefore it's to be avoided. Of course you might be trying to kill me because I tried to steal your car! It would have been easier for us both if you just let me take your car. Unless of course you like killing people. Hey it's just a car.

[Smile]

You do little things like giving homeless you see food or money, or donating time to help less fortunate. Or feed hungry ghosts, which is actually is a very valuable help for them. More on it here: Making Offerings to the Hungry Ghosts.

 

There are a lots of little charities that use 90% + of your money on good causes like giving a family a cow or a goat, or putting a filtration water system to a small town for their water to become drinkable again.

 

I said it before and I say it again:

Without merit and good fortune, we will NOT go far on a spiritual path, no matter how many hours a day we meditate.

Edited May 27, 2008 by Smile

[Ian]

I said it before and I say it again:

Without merit and good fortune, we will NOT go far on a spiritual path, no matter how many hours a day we meditate.

 

While I thoroughly respect this position and agree that much of what you can achieve in any given lifetime is determined by previous karma, I have been repeatedly told that the sort of good karma you get from virtuous deeds is not nearly as important as that which you get from a sincere effort to meditate.

 

What I'm told is that the former will get you nice circumstances, for a while, but that the latter is cumulative, and will keep you established on a meditation path, regardless of circumstances.

 

Obviously I have no personal knowledge of this.

 

I do acknowledge that practice goes better when you're feeling good about yourself for having been kind, and that generosity weakens the sense of separation between self and other, which is one of the main illusions we're up against.

 

But perhaps we're talking more in this thread about being kind for the sake of making things better, rather than making progress for ourselves.

[Heidi1975]

Hey Anette, my dear friend Nice to see you in here too!

 

I don't think we can "shut it out" since we're all interconnected. We can avoid it to some degree, but if not, we will store it somewhere within ourselves.

I don't know the taoist way of dealing with this matter, as I'm a newb my self, but being an EMT in "my old life", I've had to deal with a lot of pain. There is a LOT of pain out there.

It wasn't until I started my spiritual path I realized that I've stored some of it myself. The helplessness and impotence of not being able to aid people in need became such a blockage in my system that I'm still cleansing it out, many years later.

 

So at times I avoid the news because I become too emotional, other times I need to balance and take it in, cry my bold tears- if they can bear the experience, I can bear to read about it- and then; I let it go. And here's what I think; if you can cleanse it out, think of it as balancing your own emotions and traumas (because often it reflects your own fear), you might actually be helping them to cleanse it out of their system as well, since we are all connected. The world needs love and compassion, it's all energy.

 

And since I'm not working in "the gutter" anymore, I donate money to charity so that those who are strong enough, can ease the pain and save lives as I wanted to do in the first place.

[Patrick Brown]