Come What May

Image credit: h.koppdelaney

And from a clifftop is proclaimed
The gathering of the souls for birth…

And none are taken but who will,
Having first heard the life read out
That opens earthward, good and ill,
Beyond the shadow of a doubt;
And very beautifully God limns,
And tenderly, life’s little dream,
But naught extenuates or dims,
Setting the thing that is supreme…

Nor is there wanting in the press
Some spirit to stand simply forth,
Heroic in its nakedness,
Against the uttermost of earth.
The tale of earth’s unhonored things
Sounds nobler there than ‘neath the sun;
And the mind whirls and the heart sings,
And a shout greets the daring one…

And so the choice must be again,
But the last choice is still the same;
And the awe passes wonder then,
And a hush falls for all acclaim.
And God has taken a flower of gold
And broken it, and used therefrom
The mystic link to bind and hold
Spirit to matter till death come…

From The Trial by Existence by Robert Frost.

In his poem, Robert Frost suggests that we choose the life we have, the good and the ill, “And none are taken but who will…” When I read these words, I reflect on the most tragic situations throughout history. I wonder why anyone would willingly choose such a life.  I mentioned in an earlier post, Nothing Is Real, there is a possibility as scientists are beginning to suggest in String Theory, that we create multiple worlds through the thoughts we harbor. If it is true that we choose the life we have for whatever reasons, then I would be inclined to live  like the Buddhists who willingly accept their fate as a learning experience. (Click on the image above to read a beautiful verse, “Ten Times” about life as a learning experience.) Whether the life we have is our choice for our own learning or in sacrifice so that others can learn through us, the lesson is heroic, “And the mind whirls and the heart sings, And a shout greets the daring one…”

A wanderer approached the Buddha wanting to know what happens after death. The Buddha asked him how he would live his life if he knew that there are future lives. The wanderer replied that he would want to live mindfully to sow seeds of wisdom for the future; to be generous and compassionate because they create happiness and abundance in the future. The Buddha then asked how would he live if there are no future lives. The wanderer replied that he would live mindfully so that he would not miss anything, and to live with generosity and compassion because they bring happiness, and because he won’t be able to keep anything at the end.

In some spiritual philosophies we learn that we reap as we sow, that all of life is the result of  karma, actions performed whether in this life or in a past life. This philosophy may seem fatalistic when we are presented with situations that we label as bad, but like the Buddhists we can accept the situation with equanimity rather than creating more karma by reacting to the situation with rejection, blame and increasing hatred. In acceptance, we can live with detachment and ease which creates a space for clarity. When there is clarity, we can be mindful of not repeating the past actions that created our unwanted situation, but rather to sow the seeds of generosity and compassion for ourselves and others.

With all that said, I still do not know if we truly choose our life situations as Robert Frost suggested in his poem. And given the darkness that humans are capable of, I wonder, do we make a conscious choice before we land on this plane? Whether we do or not, come what may, we would do well to live with mindfulness, generosity and compassion.