Today's
Meditation:
Perhaps
the greatest constant in our lives is change. We
change every day as we learn new things and are exposed to
new thoughts and ideas. Some people, though, insist
upon holding on to beliefs that were developed in their
pasts, no matter how much new learning they've done that
contradicts what they thought they knew in the past.
It's
understandable why people hold on--there seems to be
safety in consistency, and we're taught from a very young
age that consistency is one of the most valued qualities
that human beings can possess. Unfortunately,
though, the desire to be consistent can keep us from
examining our lives, our thoughts, our beliefs, and our
actions in an effort to determine if they're really,
truly, reflective of us and who we are as human beings.
Never
changing our minds means simply this: we aren't
learning. Our thoughts and beliefs should constantly
be developing and growing into new thoughts and beliefs.
When
I was young, I used to think that life was about
competition, about striving to do your best against other
people. While I still see the value of competition
in some areas such as athletics, I tend now to believe
that life is about cooperation--and that even within the
realm of competition, cooperation can make our efforts
much more rewarding (the ending of the movie Cars shows a
great example of this!).
I've
left behind many beliefs in my life, and as I do so I find
that I'm replacing them with fewer beliefs--and tomorrow,
I may find that I have no beliefs left--just acceptance of
the way things are without the filter of my beliefs
turning them into what I think they should be.
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