Last update: December 30, 2014
Two monks who were returning to the Temple found a woman crying near the stream because she did not have the courage to cross it, since the current of the waters was too strong. The older of the two of her, without hesitating from her, lifted her into her arms and carried her to the other bank.
The two monks continued their journey and after three days the younger of the two, who could no longer contain his curiosity, exclaimed: “How could you do this, take a woman in your arms? You know our rules forbid it! "
The senior monk replied with a smile: “Maybe I violated the rules, but I only helped a woman who needed me and made her cross the stream. But what about you? Three days have already passed since then, and while I left it there, you still carry it with you ”.
(Zen story)
When an important event leaves its mark on our most essential values, we usually react with amazement.
Sometimes, various daily actions (at home, at work, among friends, in the family) violate our emotions, our affections and even our dignity in a profound way. And it can happen to react by isolating our heart so as not to have to endure this pain anymore, becoming paralyzed or numb people, feeling drowsy or completely crumbling. When we believe we have witnessed a disaster everything collapses, our fears are accentuated, doubts accumulate and hope recedes.
We forget what we believe in and feel a chaos within us that leads us to lose confidence… And without confidence, we have almost nothing left. The massacre begins and we feel that "our" people are no longer the same. At the beginning we try to make time soothe our confusion and isolate it in a corner, but it is a mistake. And so there is nothing left to do but start cleaning up and tidying up our home, our certainties. Sweep away the dust, get rid of unnecessary things even if it is painful, escape from what is no longer needed, stop accumulating debris. We go in search of new clean and bright paths, which take us away from chaos.
In summary: let's disinfect our sadness. Another alternative is to continue the journey along our personal stream, as if nothing had happened, without dialogue and without reflection. But our repressed emotions and thoughts will eventually cause us to build up anger and resentment, until a new disaster breaks out inside or outside of us.
For this it is so necessary to save the furniture, collect the rubble, do a catharsis and a general cleaning and sterilize ourselves internally. Acquire a healthy dimension of our suffering and start decorating again, with commitment and respect, our conscience and that of those who caused us that collapse. Only by putting order in the chaos will we be able to forget the fears, uncertainty and mistrust will slowly disappear, and the memories will not be erased, but at least they will stop hurting.
Image courtesy of Eddy Van
