An article in the Speaking Tree last Sunday spoke about equanimity. The context was that of emotion. It said that all of us want happiness, but without the sadness; joy, but without the sorrow. The essence of emotion is that everything comes in pairs. The balance of this pair causes equanimity in our lives. If you want happiness, you must be prepared to undergo some measure of sadness. Alternatively, without sadness we cannot appreciate happiness as an elevated state of emotion. Same goes for joy or satisfaction. Either we accept that circumstances come in pairs, or we live in equanimity-without either emotion.
On a personal level, this article took me back to the basics, so to speak. A few years ago, in a particularly emotional time, I swore to myself that I would detach from human relationships rather than get involved in them. The pain they caused did not seem worth the intermittent happiness. In time I realised that it was not so easy; it seemed far easier to love and get hurt than to not love at all. And what is life without emotion? It's like watching a movie without sound or eating food without salt. If Life was a fruit, emotion would be the juice that dribbled down your chin as you bit into it. It is an intrinsic part of living. Without emotion there is no life.
Take it or leave it.
On a personal level, this article took me back to the basics, so to speak. A few years ago, in a particularly emotional time, I swore to myself that I would detach from human relationships rather than get involved in them. The pain they caused did not seem worth the intermittent happiness. In time I realised that it was not so easy; it seemed far easier to love and get hurt than to not love at all. And what is life without emotion? It's like watching a movie without sound or eating food without salt. If Life was a fruit, emotion would be the juice that dribbled down your chin as you bit into it. It is an intrinsic part of living. Without emotion there is no life.
Take it or leave it.