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Today's
Meditation:
The world is what the world is--how easy it is to
forget this truth! And the thorns are not just an
important part of it, but a necessary part of it; without
the thorns, many things would simply cease to be. In
the plant world, many plants that depend upon thorns for
defense would have been eaten into extinction years
ago. In the people world, many of the things that
prick us and cause us to bleed teach us important lessons
about caution and about looking before we leap.
I believe that the "battle" that Orison is
talking about is the battle to be happy, the battle to
lead fulfilling and satisfying lives. Many people
are dissatisfied, though, when the world isn't exactly
what they want it to be, and their dissatisfaction comes
from wanting the world to be thorn-free, but seeing that
the world isn't so.
Sometimes we want to clear out the thorns for other
people. Parents especially seem to want to make
things risk-free for their kids, and they often try to
make sure that their children don't get hurt in their
paths through life. But these are the kids who grow
up not knowing how to deal with adversity, who don't
understand why the world isn't making itself safe for
them, who aren't able to help other people deal with
obstacles in their lives because they haven't had to deal
with many in their own.
Thorns impress
me--they serve an important purpose, and they serve it
well. Gardeners who are able to work around roses
all the time without getting stabbed repeatedly impress
me. People who are able to deal with setbacks and
difficulties without losing their cool impress me.
And the people impress me because they are what they are,
and because they've learned to take what life has to give
and deal with it on its own terms. They don't try to
impose their own will upon life and try to deal with life
on their own terms--they accept what is, and they work
with that.
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