Letting Go

Dear Friends,

It seems to me that you have issues, he has issues and I have issues, that guy over there, who claims he doesn’t have issues… that is one of his issues. We all are flawed human beings. To believe that I am flawless is to believe that I am superhuman. A person with no flaws need not improve him or herself in any way.

No reason to diet, perfect weight, no need to read, perfect knowledge, no need to think, perfect recall and no need to eat, perfect digestion. That person is one who most reasonable people would admit doesn’t and probably cannot exist. Even the Jew, Jesus Christ of Nazareth came into this world as a child, learned at the hands of his parents and Rabbis then grew into what he became. Even he didn’t achieve perfection until his resurrection. How much less are we?

We mask our issues as best we can. Some better than others, the guy drunk on the train tracks, no job, not even looking for employment has made the choice that society or community be damned. He wears no mask. If some one wants to help by buying him a bottle of Old Duke he is willing for the comfort. He has no mask… The rest of us wear masks.

The thing is, there are so many shoals in the seas of life that we must run aground now and then. It is inevitable. They are there for good people and bad alike. But as special accident theory goes, the more complex the system and the more tightly it is interdependent the more likely of a catastrophic failure in it. Life is no different.

Obstinacy, temper, aloofness, vitriol etc… in our lives amounts to tightening up the interconnections, our lives are complex as it is but throw in some lies and complexity grows exponentially. No matter the source of the lies. Increasing complexity and tightening the connections assures us of a catastrophic failure when we run aground instead of a minor scrape.

One way to loosen up the tightness of the interconnections is to have a belief in God. When we run aground there is no better attitude then to say to yourself, “It was the will of God.” Then let go. The biggest obstacle to this path is the human ego.

Hearing this makes the gut tighten, and we have a fight or flight feeling. We feel we can’t run and have to fight so we tense our gut gird ourselves. But the third option, to let it go and give it to God, is the best option. Even though it makes our gut even tighter… until we let go.

Most people respect their boss. You wouldn’t say to him or her , “You are a jerk.” (or something much worse),except kidding. To do so puts one’s livelihood at risk, and as Confucius says, “A fool walks a dangerous path when a safe one is available.” To be socially inept, intentionally, with a boss is foolish, and so we don‘t let our ego get in the way. But what is the worst he could do? Fire us Taking away our lively hood. But we say vitriolic things to God, at least once in our lives… or more.

I’m not saying we should quiver in fear of a vindictive God, I am saying we should respect God for a person who takes all kinds of verbal abuse and puts up with it. (Few thankyou’s and a lot of please’s, why’s, don’t’s and anger).

So when a shoal comes into our lives and we run aground it is better to let go of the issue, say “it was the will of God,” and move on, than to clutch it, hold it tight, and nurse it into a grudge. Or be so shattered by it that it results in some catastrophic failure in our lives.

Maybe, as someone told me once, we live many lives, each teaching us a lesson, some painful some joyful, the one we are in maybe one of the painful lives… or it may be one of the joyous.

Depends more on your point of view.