Re: when things fall apart

The question wasn't do you regret that your life happened but do you regret that YOU happened. And since it's the YOU that experiences your life - the answer should theoretically be the same, shouldn't it.

But it's not - and therein lies the gift that we all owe a debt of gratitude for. Because as you say, the outward circumstances of our lives no matter how much of a horror show aren't all there is to it. Granted so many people live in disgusting sub-human conditions that it's tempting to write it all off.

But there are two distinct realms of our existance - the material and the spiritual. Left brain/Right brain? Eternal soul? I have no idea, but both realms have their needs to satisfy in order for us to be happy and deprivation from one or both causes unhappiness and physical or psychic pain.

Our material realm or consciousness requires us to work, plan and fight our way through life to accumulate the resources (food, shelter, water, comfort, etc) to maintain our physical needs (and those of our families). Not having achieved security with this objective will cause anxiety, suffering and even illness and death.

Our spiritual realm or consciousness is very different. Instead of competing for resources, we become nourished by joining others, being part of a greater whole, a sense of opening up to the universe and other non-harmful beings. The rewards are joy, fulfillment, happiness, bliss etc.

The material realm is like a pie that the more others eat the less you get. The spiritual realm is like a candle where the more it's passed along the greater light and warmth is available to everyone. And they're both valid and necessary.

The problem is we're all trained to negate our spiritual nature and look for fulfullment in the material realm by way of consumption. "Pepsi is Happiness". "Have a Coke and a Smile". "Diamonds are Love". "

Feeling unhappy? Alienated? Depressed? Forget walks in the park, enjoying the company of loved ones or making a friend. The answer is finding the right pill. Always a material solution to a spiritual problem.

Real fulfillment comes from being wealthy, rich and beautiful. Work harder, work faster, when we say jump jump! Be the supermom, the super success etc etc and you'll be happy. Of course those that have been super successes tell you over and over again that they didn't get the fulfillment they expected when their goals were finally reached. Something serious was missing.

Get a big house. Get a Mercedes. Get this get that. And of course all these things bring their own anxieties and sources of suffering.

How else do you explain the US being (formerly at least) the richest nation in the world and also leading the world in Depression and the use of anti-depressants?

Basically our consumer culture has caused severe spiritual malnourishment. It's like when we feel thirst, we're told to quench it by eating cake. We work harder and harder to obtain more cake yet the thirst is always there.

Sorry for being long winded - I started writing and it just kept flowing. Hope this helped. Anyway it's probably good fodder for my blog at darkislightenough.com Tweet