Life isn’t meant to be
easy.
I had a habit of
grumbling and complaining about life. If I was having difficulties at work I’d
find myself wishing that things could be easier. I often found myself envying
other people who seemed to have an easier ride than me.
One of the things that
have taught me is that life just isn’t meant to be easy. In fact, the first
thing I learnt is that “life means suffering.” In other words, human nature
isn’t perfect and neither is the world we live in, which means that the very
nature of human existence is painful.
During our lifetime, we
will all go through physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury and
eventually death; and we will also endure psychological suffering like sadness,
fear and depression. None of us are going to be able to escape that so, rather
than fight it, you might as well accept it. With acceptance and realization, I
find comes a lot of peace.
Do
material things make you happy
OK, this is hardly a
new concept. Many spend a lot of time and money hankering after the latest
gadgets – a top of the range flat screen TV, the latest smartphone, a shiny new
laptop – you name it, many want it. But as soon as they get their newest toy
the novelty would wear off and they would find wanting something else – or
envying other people’s things. They don’t realize they have got themselves into
a cycle of craving that simply wasn’t making them happy.
In fact I felt sorry
for other travelers who seemed obsessed with their phones – spending all their
time texting or tweeting rather than living in the moment.
Nothing
lasts forever
It’s a simple fact –
nothing in this world lasts forever. And although it may not immediately sound
like a positive notion, it actually is. Just like the happy times in life come
to an end, so do the bad times, which is why we need to accept the impermanence
of life.
I find this a
particularly comforting thought when I’m going through a bad patch in life –
just realizing and accepting the impermanence of life reminds me that no matter
how bad things may seem, they won’t last forever. This in turn brings a sense
of positivity.
Rather than fearing it
and avoiding the subject as we tend to do in the West, we must acknowledge and
accept that death is inevitable because of the impermanence of life.
Life is more enjoyable
when you live in the moment
Many rarely live in the
moment. They either are dwelling on past mistakes, feeling wistful for days
gone by or making plans for the future. Their mind was always elsewhere, thinking,
planning etc. Even when they first went traveling they found themselves
thinking ahead to the next country they were going on to, rather than enjoying
the experience they were having at the time.
It’s important to have
mindfulness – existing in the present and being aware of your thoughts and
actions in the present moment without any judgment.
By learning to live in
the present moment we are able to release any longing or wistfulness for the
past, or worry or anticipation about the future.
