Listen to people's stories and they all could be entitled ," Why I can't be at peace now." The ego doesn't know that your only opportunity for being at peace is now.
Eckhart Tolle
Drop the Darn Story.
We all have a story. Some past trauma or challenge; some injustice or insult, some thing we justify as the reason for being stuck where we are. How many times have you heard yourself or someone else relaying the whys of continual pain and dis-ease with a "Yeah but you don't understand I had this or that happen; he did this or that etc." ?
I still catch myself doing it all the time! Sometimes I even look for reasons to be offended. Imagine!
Here we are wanting to be happy but we cling to reasons why we can't be? Does that make sense?
Suffering Exists but we do not have to Cling to it
Yes it is true ...bad things do happen. People suffer. Life and other people are not always going to be fair. It is inevitable to have to go through hard times on this journey...but...when the "bad thing" is over, the " bad people" are gone, some type of physical world balance is restored, why do we cling to the story so fervently in our minds and use it to explain why we are where we don't want to be? Why can we not just let go of it?
Learning to Flap it Off
Eckhart Tolle in his amazing book, The Power of Now, uses the analogy of ducks to explain how we would best handle the situation of perceived injustice, attack or offense from others. When two ducks are fighting over a portion of the pond or another duck...they fight for a few minutes and then fly off in opposite directions. They flap their winds several times as if to shake off the negativity and tension the fight caused and fly off as if nothing happened.
He then, in a New Earth (2008) explains what it would be like if the ducks had human minds:
"If the duck had a human mind, it would keep the fight alive by thinking, by story-making. This would probably be the duck’s story: “I don’t believe what he just did. He came to within five inches of me. He thinks he owns this pond. He has no consideration for my private space. I’ll never trust him again. Next time he’ll try something else just to annoy me. I’m sure he’s plotting something already. But I’m not going to stand for this. I’ll teach him a lesson he won’t forget.” And on and on the mind spins its tales, still thinking and talking about it days, months, or years later. ...
You can see how problematic the duck’s life would become if it had a human mind. But this is how most humans live all the time. No situation or event is ever really finished. The mind and the mind-made “me and my story” keep it going."
For more thoughts on these words...check out the links below.
Do you think then that we could all benefit a little by learning to shake or "flap" it off? So much of what we call suffering becomes so because we refuse to let it go. Letting it go and choosing peace over being right can benefit us and the entire world just like it benefits the duck population.
Drop the Story!
Now I am not referring so much to trauma recovery...that is a special case that requires expert help. Believe me, I know, some trauma is not that easy to shake off....but if we had the willingness to do so, the willingness to put any injustice aside for the sake of our happiness, the willingness to get the help needed to let go of our stories ...wouldn't that be a step in the right direction toward happiness?
Changing the Title of Our Life Story
If you cannot completely drop your story...why not try changing the title? Why not call it: " How my story brought me to my here and now by teaching me forgiveness!" Forgiveness is never for the other person or situations as much as it is for the self. Forgiveness is healing and allows us to move on. It opens the door to our inner world...a door that takes us away from ego and moves us toward the healing power of Spirit. Forgiveness can open the door to our happiness. You just need to put your hand on the doorknob.
Let's forgive and move on peacefully. There is a big beautiful pond waiting for us to explore it!
Nadine Marie (2013) The Duck with a Human Mind. Aligning with Truth. (Blog). Retrieved from https://mytruthsetsmefree.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/the-duck-with-the-human-mind/
Tolle Teachings(n.d.) The Duck with a Human Mind. Tolle Teachings. Retrieved from
http://www.tolleteachings.com/duck-with-a-human-mind.html
Tolle, Eckhart. (2010) The Power of Now. New World Library.
Tolle, Eckhart (2008) A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. Penguin
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