>>> Updated every New Moon <<<April 23, 2001
Dear astrologyTOMORROWtoday (tm) Reader,
The Meaning Of Life,
As Something That Happens To You
"There is no use in one person attempting to tell another
what the meaning of life is.
It involves too intimate an awareness.
A major part of the meaning of life is contained in the very
discovering of it.
It is an ongoing experience of growth that involves a deepening
contact with reality.
To speak as though it were an objective knowledge, like the
date of the War of 1812, misses the point altogether.
The meaning of life is indeed objective when it is reached but
the way to it is by a path of subjectivities.
The meaning of life cannot be told.
It has to HAPPEN to a person."
-- Ira Progoff
What then, dear reader, is YOUR meaning of life?
Has it "happened" to you yet?
I respect the universe because it exists.
I respect myself because I exist as a part of the awesome universe.
Sometimes though, it feels as if little insignificant me am in
danger of being "swallowed up" by the whole.
Now, if that were to happen, what then would have been the purpose
of my existence?
Not that being "swallowed up by the whole" should be taken personally,
I am given to understand.
Life is beautiful and amazing when one doesn't take things personally,
if you know what I mean.
I just grapple with the question: "Is my life personal or not?"
People say: "All things happen for a reason".
I have no problem with that even if I don't always know the reasons why
such and such happen to human beings.
I only object when they say: "All things happen for a GOOD reason".
GOOD for whom?
Disease is good for whom?
Poverty is good for whom?
Hatred is good for whom?
War is good for whom?
When all the pain and suffering is taken objectively, one supposes
that problems and crisis -- chaos? -- is the way of the universe.
One concludes the way is "existential".
Realistically though, pain and suffering is very subjective, no?
Imagine for instance, telling a starving child that his agonizing
hunger pangs are "for a good reason."
Supposing for a moment, that I was to allow my "challenges" to
overcome me.
How can those challenges be "good for me"?
By sheer will, I refuse to "break down" and instead I focus on
turning the disadvantages around.
By writing and sharing my "happenings" (though not necessarily
in much detail) and reflections is one of the ways I see to it
that *some good* can come off any personal crisis or tragedy.
Which isn't to say that all the crisis and tragedies are supposed
to be "good for me" or good for my readers per se.
It's good that I am able to handle and interpret crisis in a
productive and progressive way.
Otherwise, there would be nothing good about my crisis.
So please don't tell me suffering is "good for us" per se.
How we manage suffering makes all the difference in the world.
WE are (potentially) good for us!
I say "potentially" because some times, we are simply not up to
the challenge and that is when we fail ourselves.
Our FRIENDS are (potentially) good for us!
Again, I use the word "potentially" because our friends can fail
to meet the challenge with us.
HELPFUL and SYMPATHETIC SOULS are good for us!
Is this then, MY meaning of life?
Is this then, at least a great part of MY meaning of life?
I respect that suffering (yours truly has been living a life in
karmic "boot-camp" with this month of April taking the cake) is
to teach us lessons.
And that these lessons mastered, will hone us into better beings.
Figuring out exactly what the lessons are, that's the complex part.
I acknowledge that if we don't learn what life is trying to teach us,
the suffering will go on and on and on -- getting from bad to worse.
It gets from bad to worse because no situation is at a standstill.
If a situation doesn't improve, it invariably heads for "worse"
territory.
This is why at any time in a life, life could frightfully be
"as good as it gets".
It's "good" because it could get worse.
I observe that basically, it's each person, each family, for themselves.
Help, when it comes, comes in part just as when we help others,
our help is only in part, not in full.
Even "God helps those who help themselves", remember?
If it's true that "it's more blessed to give (help) than to receive",
then it must be because one has first to be in a position to give
help, before one can render help.
If you find that you're always needing help, you can't be very
blessed then, can you?
In any case, life seems to be an art in mutually using one another
in a synergistic way.
Experience tells me it's not enough to be good, we have to be clever,
multi-talented, disciplined, planful and organized.
If one is all of the above, even "bad luck" can be kept to a minimum.
Otherwise, we're in for one crisis after another.
That said, I observe too that intelligent people can behave very
un-intelligently when in a karmic warp.
Does life then, boil down to karma?
Doesn't the concept of self-empowerment imply that we can reflect
on the causes of our un-happiness and then do something about them?
I know a couple who is very virtuous in many ways.
However, because the husband thrives on "chaos", their relationship
and life together is very disharmonious.
One needs order to live (not necessarily to grow, since growing
requires that one be able to leave one's comfort zone) peacefully
and the other creates different degrees of chaos.
The wife thinks sloppy people just don't get it.
The husband simply cannot understand what the fuss is all about.
In some way, it staggers me that this discordant couple is still
sharing a life after 25 years.
Yet, my metaphysical side understands that they are each other's
catalyst for (uncomfortable) growth.
Recently, I studied their Four Pillars for compatibility,
and discovered that their pairing is elementally above average for
a productive and progressive union.
Well, let's hear it for the Four Pillars!
Until next time, :>
mEinah@astrologyTOMORROWtoday.com
