The path to spiritual awaking is discomfort and suffering. Are you just tourists in the world of spirituality?
All normal disclaimers apply here, I don’t claim to be an expert or even the master of my own life, most of the time, I’m simply starting the conversation because I think that may be the most important component.
My Dad has been dancing with cancer for a few years now. Prostate that spread to the bones. His journey has been long and from what I can tell full of plenty of suffering. I acknowledge that suffering is subjective.
The full onset of his current condition was last summer. He’d thought he hurt himself while doing yard work on his property. He was experiencing pain in his ribs and thought somehow he bruised them. The pain became disruptive to his sleep and he finally admitted that he needed to take something for the pain.
He ended up at the doctor’s office getting an MRI and other things revealing that the cancer inside him had spread to his pelvis, ribs and spine. His biggest complaint was that it felt like he had a band tightened across his diaphragm and was constricting his breath.
Turns out, that pain and constriction was caused by a mass that had grown on his spine. (Around T8 for those of you that know your anatomy) It was putting pressure against his spine and diaphragm. Within weeks he was paralyzed. I’ll spare you the entire trajectory but other things shifted and changed with his health and physical body.
What I found to be most beautiful was what was occurring within the spiritual quadrant of him as a man. We’re all dying. I get that but what I’m talking about is that phase of rapid change in health or whatever normal condition that we usually operate in that challenges our beliefs and everything down to our core. Suffering has a way of showing us some important things. What’s truly important and what has deep and valuable meaning for us?
And…how do we continue to invite in the vast array of life’s experiences with a general positive outlook? I believe it’s by choice. We have to properly manage our inner dialog to focus on what we have rather than what’s lacking. We must focus on what’s beautiful rather than what’s ugly or broken.