Better Than This?

Something one of my teachers said, brought home to me the core of what it means to live a meaningful life. She asked me, “What if you were a cosmic traveler and came to Earth, what would be your purpose for coming here?” I replied  without thinking about it, what first popped into my mind. I said, “To enjoy myself and to enjoy what is here.” Simple really, that is what we are here for. To enjoy what Creator, both cosmic and oneself, has manifested.  The key to this enjoyment is appreciation. It is the root source of all the virtues by which we can live a life of enjoying ourselves and enjoying our earthly sojourn.

Appreciation is the forerunner of gratitude, of acceptance of what is, of compassion for oneself and others. When we appreciate ourselves and life itself,  we have access to the wealth of our endless creativity. We connect to the Source of infinite energy when our minds and hearts are open and appreciative. On the other hand, there is nothing more destructive than the feeling of dissatisfaction that attracts the company of gremlins such as self-loathing, anger, jealousy, and meanness.

There was a stone-cutter who was dissatisfied with his position in life. He envied the village’s wealthiest merchant and wished he too was as rich and successful. So he became a merchant and was the most prosperous of all the villagers. When the king came to visit, even though he was the wealthiest man, he still had to bow before the king. He was unhappy about his position, being a subject of the king. He set out to become a king himself, and became the most powerful king of the land. One day he noticed how the sun gave him discomfort with its heat. He thought that the sun was more powerful than him, the greatest of kings. He envied the sun and went about becoming the sun and shone with the brightest light. One day however, a passing cloud covered his glory and made him wish to become a cloud. He became a cloud that was pushed around by the wind. He then became a mighty wind which could blow everything except the heavy stone. He became the stone, thinking nothing was as powerful as the stone. As he stood proudly in the wind, he asked himself what could be more powerful than a stone. He looked down and saw a stone-cutter, his own original self, sculpting him with a chisel.

Appreciation for who we are, who we were and who we will become is at the heart of a life well lived. It is the grounding cord for all of our other endeavors. As paradoxical as it may seem, we must first be satisfied with just who we are, before we are able to make change. It is only with acceptance of ourselves and what is in front of us that we are open to love. It is when our hearts are open, that we can unfold the greatness of our Truth and manifest our highest gifts. All our wanting to be better than this, whether it is our position in life or how we can be of better service to others, must originate from a feeling of inner abundance and a deep satisfaction that is independent of outer circumstances. So the most meaningful work we can do in life, is to enjoy ourselves and enjoy what is here!