"If you find a path with no obstacles,
it probably doesn't lead anywhere."
-- Frank Howard Clark
"As your faith is strengthened,
you will find that there is no longer
the need to have a sense of control,
that things will flow as they will
and that you will flow with them
to your great delight and benefit."
-- Emmanuel Teney
[Classic post from 5-4-17]
Fight. Fight. Fight. Make it happen. The struggle is just part of the game. You must work hard. Action is not everything, the right action is. It's all about winning. You either win or you lose. Winning is the only thing. Blah. Blah. Blah.
I watched a very interesting and powerful documentary on Netflix last night titled, The Mask You Live In. It was focused on men and what being a man is all about to so many, how that is constantly influenced by the media, handed down from parents and culture, and how all of those influences create many serious problems in the world, especially when it comes to boys and men relating to girls and women.
I found myself in tears in several places because I could so relate to much of what the large cast of boys and men said about how they were taught and how they grew up and the masks they wore to hide what they really felt. It was enlightening and expansive to me.
Then this morning, I thought I would look at some images where I buy the photos and other images I share here and that we use in our business. Three images caused me to consider the obstacles that we think are in our way and have to be overcome, and that learning to flow rather than struggle is one of the most valuable things I've ever learned.
Sometimes obstacles are all by themselves and even though we are on our way somewhere, they are pretty easy to go around. In this case, I had so much time seeing it out there that I thought I would have some fun with it and flow around it very closely. Something in our way or even a little out of the way that we think is some kind of barrier can simply be an opportunity to find some enjoyment on our travels to wherever we are heading.
Other times an obstacle may seem large and wide and as if it is doing what it can in its size and shape to foil our attempts at flow. Yet, that is really an illusion and just like a bend in the river can be caused by an object, it doesn't stop the river from flowing as it will. It simply seeks to flow. The river doesn't even need to work at it because it is constantly flowing until it runs out of water, or out of life energy.
Then there are times when the obstacles are many. So many, in fact, that they look like powerful roadblocks to our freedom in travel. But, again, these and all obstacles are simply an illusion in their power. As we trust in our ability to flow, we have no need of control over obstacles, or as Emmanuel Teney said, "As your faith is strengthened, you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will and that you will flow with them to your great delight and benefit."
The more I learn about life, being a man, or whatever may be going on with my journey, I see no need for struggle, fighting, rowing upstream, fitting into other people's ideas of how I should live or think. Instead, I've learned that letting go, learning to flow, trusting in life; in love; in God; in my ability to become one with all of that is what brings me joy and peace and harmony.
One other key I've learned is to allow the obstacles to be as they choose, and to allow all others to struggle as they choose or whatever they may choose. I can only flow myself in my own choosing, and we are all in that choosing as we see fit. I don't need to change the world to have peace and love and harmony. I simply need to become them.
It's Not About Overcoming. It's About Learning To Flow.
Spread Some Joy Today--by letting go of the struggle and peace is the natural result. Peace is the antithesis of struggle.
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