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UNIVERSE WITHIN by Gwen Randall-Young
The recent hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and terrorist attacks – and hype about a possible flu pandemic – may make us feel we are living in dangerous times. Even if we have not been directly affected, we have seen our fellow humans endure the unimaginable.
Our bubble of security could easily burst. The solid ground of our lives may begin to feel more like thin ice. If we are grounded and centred in the personal world of our own construction, who will we be when some unexpected event results in its deconstruction?
As much as we may firmly believe in the illusion that we are in control of our lives, we do not know which one of our many possible futures will play out. Ego could be in for a shock, or even collapse, if its defining aspects are suddenly non-existent: loss of our job, home, community, or city; our health becomes unstable; or we lose our loved ones. It is as if these aspects are the pillars that hold ego aloft, and should even one of them fall, the whole ego-structure may crash.
Attachment is the problem. If we are attached to the world being a certain way, we are probably not working on a plan to sustain ourselves should things go awry. I am reminded of a dear friend, who was about to undergo chemotherapy. She had lovely, long, blonde hair, and knew it would likely begin falling out in clumps. Realizing that the loss would be difficult to deal with, she cut her hair very short before she began her treatments. Because she let go of it before it was gone, she was prepared when what little was left began to go.
Buddhism teaches about the suffering caused by attachment. The more attached we are, the more we suffer when we lose something. It was interesting to see the reactions of some of the very poor that were displaced after hurricane Katrina. Within days, some of these people were working at new jobs in Texas and looking for places to live, fully launched into their new lives. For some, the crisis represented a better opportunity. For others, who were already successful and prosperous, and who lost not only a lucrative source of income, but also a social circle and clientele integral to who they were, this was not the case.
How can we develop the resilience and courage to deal with the unknown, should it suddenly appear in a way that shakes our world? Like my friend who underwent chemo, we can release our attachment before it is wrenched from our grasp. Does that mean we let go of anything, or anyone, that is important to us? No, we do not let go of them, only to our attachment to them.
We must acknowledge that everything in life is temporary and transient. Nothing stays the same and there are no guarantees. Eventually, we must let go of everything. We have to think about that once in a while, so that our inner compass keeps pointing in the right direction. We can have mental, mini “fire drills,” where we imagine a plan that would allow us to cope with a potentially huge loss or change in our lives. If we develop an alternate life plan to utilize in the event of a crisis – a spouse’s death, the loss of a job, or a major health crisis – although we may still be shocked, we need not be dumbfounded.
Much as ego would have it otherwise, our journey here is not all about ego. It is about soul and only soul. It is about learning to get ego out of the way so we can “know” our soul. We come into the world as a naked soul, devoid of any ego trappings, and we leave the same way. If we release our attachment to ego baggage along the way, we are able to respond and adapt to whatever comes.
Knowing this about ourselves, we are free to savour each day of our lives from a love-based, rather than fear-based, perspective. We can be grateful for our blessings, as well as for the strength and courage we know will be there when we need them.
Gwen Randall-Young is an author and psychotherapist in private practice. Additional articles and information about her books and transformational CDs can be found at www.gwen.ca,
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