Not so much a late Christmas post, but more of a preview of what’s shown up unexpectedly for me. Sometimes I get really down. The truth, or rather my truth as I know it, can be burdensome. The war over consciousness is real and maintaining a semblance of peace and open-heartedness is difficult for me at times.

I see people struggling with challenges – financial and health. These challenges are very serious for them. For some reason I firmly believe and am bent on labeling these challenges as needless suffering, that things don’t have to be this way, that this suffering is imposed onto humanity mostly in the name of greed. This sometimes makes me feel angry and powerless to change the situation.

Things look bleak out there. Anyone who is breathing knows there’s issues. It’s easy to get down and feel despondent and apathetic, feeling powerless to create change and feel at the effect of our circumstances. I write letters of concern to my local government officials and get lifeless political responses in return.

No one in ‘power’ seems to be listening. I’ve looked to these people in the past as having the means and ability to create great change for the betterment of humanity. That appears not to be so as I look around at many people struggling to make ends meet or to remain in good health. It’s more like trying to survive rather than thrive now-a-days.

I look to see what else I can do to make a difference, but oftentimes come up shorthanded. Perhaps it’s not about doing anything? I can’t force myself to say or do something that doesn’t resonate with me. Might just be, in my case anyway, better to allow for all of it to just be.

A meaningless existence.

A friend of mine reminded me the other day that if we have expectations of ourselves based on lies and negative beliefs, then life follows a very hard road. On the other hand, believing that life is empty and meaningless, the absence of any expectation or belief, allows for living newly each day.

I learned in the Landmark Worldwide forum that:

life is empty and meaningless and it’s empty and meaningless that it’s empty and meaningless.

Werner Erhard

It’s a mouthful I know. But it’s also very profound. I have lived with this saying for almost 40 years, letting it swirl around and show itself to me in life. My friend was despondent, believing she needed a purpose. It was bringing her down and causing grief. This belief caused her suffering so she worked the belief using Byron Katie’s The Work and had great success.

It again, was another reminder that life is indeed empty and meaningless. My friend was suffering because she believed she needed a purpose. The absence of having a purpose meant she was in deficit and lacking in some way. When in actuality, not having a purpose means nothing – and it means nothing that it means nothing.

There is nothing to do and no where to go. Allowing ourselves to surrender to what is – is very powerful. We don’t need to add anything to that. My suffering over other’s suffering is also empty and meaningless. What’s the point of suffering over suffering anyway?

Speaking of . . .

As you can imagine I was quite surprised when I came home from work one day last week and suddenly heard the song Joy to the World in my head! I felt immediately uplifted. My inner child chimed in with me, singing JOY TO THE WORLD!! It was a lovely few moments that continue to ring as a reminder. So, Joy to the World – yes! I am grateful for those words as I place them into my consciousness and live with them, allowing them to just be!

Joy is not something I see or feel usually. I certainly wasn’t feeling joy or in anticipation of anything when it showed up. I can make up loads of stuff for why it might be here, and am avoiding having it mean anything that it’s here now. I am allowing the existence of it in my life and enjoying the time I have with it.

Joy to the World – and so it is.