We call graduating from school commencement and not termination—why? School may be over, but now life is really just beginning, which is right in tune with the nature of life. Loss is change and change is a commencement, a beginning. We experience small and large losses throughout our lives, but if we see them as a normal pattern in life, change affirms our growth in mind, body, and spirit. So, one thing I would ask you to lose forever is the fear of change. It is inevitable.
Change does not have to be interpreted as loss. We all experience change; it is the nature of life. Rather than a loss, change can be seen as the labor pain of life leading to a rebirth of the life you desire. Meaning can never be lost from your life unless you eliminate it from your mind, and feel your life has lost all meaning due to the circumstances you have encountered.
As Viktor Frankl learned in a concentration camp and shared in his book Man’s Search for Meaning: “To live is to suffer. To survive is to find meaning in the suffering.” But first you have to stop focusing on the suffering and find ways to give your life meaning. When you do something real and change someone’s life in a meaningful way, you become real. Once you open your mind to this concept you will turn your curse into a blessing. I can accept that everything is impermanent, but a LOSS can become a GAIN if you maintain a quiet mind and allow yourself to see the truth.
Along with losing the fear of change, I would ask you to lose the fear of loss forever. When you live in fear of loss you do not live. When you fear what is not reality but just your mind’s problems, you are more likely to lose your life due to the negative effects of constant, yet unreal fear of loss. Begin to understand that life is change, and instead of equating change with loss, celebrate the great design in Nature that lets us stop and adjust our body, mind, and spirit to get renewed, recharged, and inspired about life when we need to.
Peace,
Bernie