The road to enlightenment isn’t an easy one, I don’t care what anyone says. You hear a lot of spiritual this and release the anger that, but nobody can give you a clear method on how to do this and why it should be done. Quite frankly thats not good enough, not for me anyway. I have been conditioned to question things and this is no different. People talk about how holding on to negativity will breed negativity in a vicious never-ending cycle. I firmly believe this to be the case, I don’t disagree with the preachers. What I have an issue with is the “how” that they fail provide.
Now when I talk about the “path” I’m talking about my own and nobody else’s. To talk about others wouldn’t be fair. So then, lets dive into mine so far hey?
I understand what I’m being told. Release the anger and break the cycle. Sounds simple enough. The trouble I have is remembering in the ‘heat of the moment’ to do so.
I find myself falling into the same old rhythms with the people around me and getting the same results as always. Einstein famously said “the definition of insanity is to continue to do the same things and expect a different result”. Yep wise words even if he is stating the obvious. Sometimes we don’t see what is right in front of us. So that’s 1 point to the physicist with the crazy hair.
My path at the moment looks like the picture above, damaged and eroding. It looked very similar if not the same when I started all this. I saw results early on and because I didn’t keep at it, I lost what I earned. Scholars talk of the enlightened Samurai, One of self control. It gives me the mental image of a calm Samurai sitting and meditating, at peace with himself and the world. In reality, they were just as impulsive and mixed up as we are. What they did though was “strive” to adhere to the code of Bushido. If they stumbled, they made extra effort not to do it again, they strived for perfection even though they knew there wasn’t a chance of getting there.
This makes me feel better about me a little but more importantly it shows a ‘HOW’, well sort of. Basically, when you stuff it all up, get back on the horse and try again. So I guess thats what I’m going to do.
Try and try and try and ………. well, you get the picture.
21st Century Ronin 