Sunday Musings – January 26, 2020
My spiritual intention today is to honor and respect the journey of others even when it not what I want or hope for individuals or the body politic.
I was grateful for the young man who yesterday reminded all celebrating the life of another young man that no matter what the length of this life journey it is very brief; the best we can do is to love and respect that each of us does the best we can to leave our unique mark. That same young man reminded all of us that we have to honor the grief of those who of us who are left and do our best to comfort each other.
The words of this special young man was again a reminder to me that the journey of another, even when it directly affects others – it always does but sometimes more than other times – it is not about others. Certainly it is not about me. It is often about my attachments to my tendency to make other people and events responsible for how much I appreciate or enjoy this life journey.
Grief is an important bridge from our attachments to a new chapter in our individual and collective journey. Often whether my attachment is to a person living, behaving in a way I “know is best for them”, the action of a body politic , to the internet working on a particular day or the end of violence I seem to need to cry, rant, and perhaps shout obscenities before I can move on to mourning which may eventually lead to acceptance. If I can occasionally retain my passion for a cause such as the end of the opioid epidemic or the abuse of the environment, while simultaneously letting go of my attachment I may be able do my tiny part in leaving the world a little better than it was when I arrived for this sojurn. On the other hand, when I become convinced that some change has to occur, someone has to take better care of their health or has to maintain the relationship with me then I may not only convince myself I have to be miserable but will inflict misery on others.
I would rather not go to another funeral of a person who dies of a drug overdose. I would like to see the end of a concept of justice which is primarily reliant on punishment. I would love to see more inclusive behavior at all levels of our body politic. I would love to live a long life but die before any more of my family and friends die so I do not have to let go of some of my attachments and do not have to grieve. I would have been thrilled if all the contestants at Show of Hands contest this week could have won over $11,000.00 each. I would have loved to have the answer which would have relieved the depression of someone I deeply care about yesterday.
As all my friends and acquaintances know I have many passionate wants. My passions and that of others are not the problem. The problem occurs when my passions become an attachment. If I make your life miserable by screaming at you every time you smoke a cigarette because I can only have a good life if you quit smoking no one has a more qualitative life.
Today I will be more aware of accepting responsibility for my attachments; honoring the journey of others while working to create a more just, safe, and loving community. Today I will speak out about addiction to money, power and other substances and behaviors which kill while seeking to not harm others because of my attachment to making other behave the way I “know” they “should” behave.
Written January 26, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
My spiritual intention today is to honor and respect the journey of others even when it not what I want or hope for individuals or the body politic.
I was grateful for the young man who yesterday reminded all celebrating the life of another young man that no matter what the length of this life journey it is very brief; the best we can do is to love and respect that each of us does the best we can to leave our unique mark. That same young man reminded all of us that we have to honor the grief of those who of us who are left and do our best to comfort each other.
The words of this special young man was again a reminder to me that the journey of another, even when it directly affects others – it always does but sometimes more than other times – it is not about others. Certainly it is not about me. It is often about my attachments to my tendency to make other people and events responsible for how much I appreciate or enjoy this life journey.
Grief is an important bridge from our attachments to a new chapter in our individual and collective journey. Often whether my attachment is to a person living, behaving in a way I “know is best for them”, the action of a body politic , to the internet working on a particular day or the end of violence I seem to need to cry, rant, and perhaps shout obscenities before I can move on to mourning which may eventually lead to acceptance. If I can occasionally retain my passion for a cause such as the end of the opioid epidemic or the abuse of the environment, while simultaneously letting go of my attachment I may be able do my tiny part in leaving the world a little better than it was when I arrived for this sojurn. On the other hand, when I become convinced that some change has to occur, someone has to take better care of their health or has to maintain the relationship with me then I may not only convince myself I have to be miserable but will inflict misery on others.
I would rather not go to another funeral of a person who dies of a drug overdose. I would like to see the end of a concept of justice which is primarily reliant on punishment. I would love to see more inclusive behavior at all levels of our body politic. I would love to live a long life but die before any more of my family and friends die so I do not have to let go of some of my attachments and do not have to grieve. I would have been thrilled if all the contestants at Show of Hands contest this week could have won over $11,000.00 each. I would have loved to have the answer which would have relieved the depression of someone I deeply care about yesterday.
As all my friends and acquaintances know I have many passionate wants. My passions and that of others are not the problem. The problem occurs when my passions become an attachment. If I make your life miserable by screaming at you every time you smoke a cigarette because I can only have a good life if you quit smoking no one has a more qualitative life.
Today I will be more aware of accepting responsibility for my attachments; honoring the journey of others while working to create a more just, safe, and loving community. Today I will speak out about addiction to money, power and other substances and behaviors which kill while seeking to not harm others because of my attachment to making other behave the way I “know” they “should” behave.
Written January 26, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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