Ebb and flow

Things come together and then they fall apart.  Again, they come together and again fall apart.  This is the nature of things, the natural ebb and flow of life, of being, of existing.  Not just as a human, but as a part of nature and all things created to ebb and flow together.

When things fall apart, this is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing.  We think the point is to overcome a dilemma or pass a test, but perhaps it is more useful to know that things don't really ever get solved.  They will again come together, and then again fall apart.  We can fight this, rage against this, work diligently and passionately against this but this is the natural flow of things, and acceptance, graceful acquiescence is to let there be room for all of this to happen.  As we accept the ebb and flow, we are also accepting and giving room for grief, for joy, for relief, and for all other things brought our way.

We humans have an arrogance that we can control what is natural.  We don't like that we do not have a hand in the order, and we fear the unknown.  That is completely understandable, as we also view ourselves to be a superior species, however incorrect that view might be.  Here is the thing: fear is inevitable.  Every creature, great and small, carries fear; it is a universal experience.  From the smallest insect to the largest whale, fear is present.  Is fear bad?  I'd say, rather, that it is part of being alive, and embracing it helps us to embrace sharing the experience with all other living creatures.  Fear is reacting against possibilities we have not yet discovered.  Fear is the abyss after experiencing loneliness, or not having anything or anyone to hold on to.  Fear is a natural reaction that moves us closer to discovery and the truth.

Facing fear, allowing it to happen and staying there, not running away, gives us a very clear path forward.  Perhaps the path forward is to befriend fear, and rather than treating it as a problem to be solved, using it instead as a tool to dismantle all of our familiar facets of being.  Facing fear and the unknown is all part of bravery, which is not actually the same thing as not being afraid.  Bravery is understanding that we can commit ourselves to staying right there, standing our ground and facing fear.  When we face fear, we are moving closer to the truth.  

I know that is a shaky place to stand. But life is a good teacher, and we have a lot to learn.  Setting aside our arrogance and our resentments, accepting that we are not at the top of the pile, but rather part of the mix, we can be open then for the inspiration that comes from being a part of something great rather than an observer or a tamer.