Pain is inevitable, suffering is a choice
Whether we choose to “do the work” or not, pain will always be a part of our lives.
When I say “do the work,” I’m referring to being committed to our evolution & constantly working to develop.
Whether it be at the foot of a master, coach, therapist or simply immersing yourself in books & commiting to some kind of meditation practice, a structure to be accountable to is vital.
Sure, some structures are better equipped to help further us in our exploration & development, however, being accountable to one is key.
I’ve written before that I’m not someone who would ever base my decisions on whether something was going to hurt or not, to determine the direction for my life. Instead, I was clear that I was always going to stay true to what I felt I was being called to do & then figure out how to achieve it.
I don’t necessarily know why I’m like that, I’ve always been that way. Maybe it’s because I vowed never to compromise my life & what’s available to me, because my grandparents were holocaust survivors & I’ll be damned if I let their suffering & survival be in vain.
What I feel people don’t realize is that pain is inevitable, regardless of the path we take. Whether, like in the “Matrix”, we take the “blue pill or the red pill," both paths come with pain.
Whether you’re committed to your development & growth or you choose not to make that aspect of yourself a priority, pain will be a part of it.
However, if one chooses to stay unconscious & not deal with their interior life, they can expect a much worse fate than those who choose to do the work.
As a starter, those who choose to remain unconscious, can expect much more physical pain. Being unconscious comes with tremendous emotional suffering; and suffering left untended to, contributes to a major impact on the body.
Suffering, here defined as a resistance to pain, makes the resistance the thing that causes most of the damage & crippling of the body. Not to be confused with the kind of suffering my grandparents endured at the hands of other's evil doings.
It's the resistance on a daily basis that has a cumulative impact on the body, much worse than an unhealthy diet or inactive lifestyle. Don’t quote me on the ranking of exactly which contributing factor has the biggest influence on our health, I’m simply making it clear that unhealed traumas & a person in great resistance to their own growth & development must endure constant deteriorative effects.
Just as a race car must be driven regularly & at great speeds to keep it functioning, we too must heal, develop & evolve in order to be connected with life, which as we all know, is constantly changing.
Sure we all have the option of not doing the work, however, whether we stay connected to it or not, there are consequences for not exploring that relationship & connection.
Unhealthy decisions of all kinds come as a manifestation of this disconnection with ourselves. Poor food choices, drugs & alcohol to numb our suffering, or our preoccupation & obsession with shopping or exercise, can all be a substitute for a lack of attention to our emotional life. Anything can have a negative effect on our life & health if we're not conscious.
I’d rather be clear about what is going on within myself or about the path I must take & own the struggle & discomfort, than avoiding or resisting a certain path. It might take me a while to move through something, heal something, or take action on a given task, however the time I’m spending on gaining momentum & confidence in any given area seems a better use of my time than the contrary.