“Life is like stepping into a boat that is about to sail out to sea and sink.” — Shunryu Susuki Roshi
Wherever we are on this journey we call life, the above quote certainly hits the proverbial nail right smack on the head . . . for most of us if not all. We learn early on once we awaken from our cocoons of unconsciousness, that absolutely nothing is guaranteed, given a life time warranty, or a sure thing from any sphere for any reason. How then do we navigate this formidable experience of living you might ask? For many over a period of decades, there didn’t exist any reason to think life was conceivably a challenge on any level. They just cruised, floated or sailed along enjoying the ride until one moment cascaded into what Pema Chodron describes in this quote . . . “the fundamental ambiguity of being human provides a precious opportunity – the opportunity to be with life just as it is, the opportunity to experience the freedom of life without a story line.”
The essence in connecting to a semblance of understanding what is named above as the fundamental ambiguity of being human, is in developing trust within ourselves. For most people, trusting themselves is not practiced with any regularity, due to the fundamental uncertainty of life. Nothing is for certain except that old adage that I heard from childhood . . . death and taxes. At what point in our lives do we become conscious, alert, awake, active, prepared, informed and committed? The first step is recognizing that we will forever be in process. The plain truth is that we never truly arrive due to a consistency of impermanence, uncertainty and change. It appears we are attached to a certainty of winning, losing, compliments, criticism, pain, suffering and a good reputation as illuminated in Pema Chodron’s book “Living Beautifully.” Becoming consciously awake may arrive as a jolt, crisis, calamity, disaster, miracle or a combination of something else. It’s not so important of the how of consciousness . . . the importance is igniting that spark and seeing the potential of your life . . . by letting go of your false narrative.
You can forge your skill sets of becoming consciously aware, awake, alert and alive by recognizing that we are all in that boat we call life. You have a distinct energy that eclipses your experience, that for many of us goes sadly untapped until we disconnect from the distractions that keep us in slavery to conscious mediocrity. Once you come to the edge of the abyss, the words of Alan Cohen will resound your truth . . . “To grow, you must be willing to let your present and future be totally unlike your past. Your history is not your destiny.” JLR