If the Buddha Got Stuck_ A Handbook for Change on a Spiritual Path - Charlotte Sophia Kasl [97]
Millie described the first time she was invited on a camping trip: “I was very uneasy when I thought about not having all my things with me—my warm bed, a stove, a choice of books to read—all the stuff that makes me feel safe and comfortable. I worried about bug bites, being cold, wet, and hungry. It was a looming fear that I’d be miserable and unable to escape, and it took great effort to rouse myself to go, which I did mostly because I enjoyed being with my friends.
“The surprise was that I soon realized I could be just fine without all my little comforts. I watched my friends light up the small Coleman stove and make great food. I think I had this image that we’d be eating grits or beans while standing in the rain, freezing. Not only did I start to feel comfortable; after a while I felt a lovely kind of freedom. The simplicity of having just what you need while enjoying the beauty of the mountains and the hikes became a gift, not an ordeal.”
It is not wrong to enjoy being comfortable. But notice if you allow a fear of being uncomfortable stand in the way of doing things that would take your life forward. Do you sometimes choose comfort and familiar rituals over having a new experience or adventures that might expand your life in countless ways or help others?
The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz gives a stark perspective on the immense demands we make for comfort. In 1941, Slavomir and a small group of fellow prisoners escaped a Soviet labor camp with nothing more than an axe, a knife, and minimal food. Their year-long walk to India included the Siberian Arctic, the Gobi Desert, and the Himalayas. They often went for days at a time hiking twenty miles without water or food. Throughout the ordeal they treated one another with immense respect—no one person hoarded food for themselves and they talked over all their plans, coming to consensus before taking action. Their ability to stay unified as a group may well have been what kept them alive and able to tolerate their immense suffering through cold, heat, near starvation, sleep deprivation, and thirst. No one ever spoke of hopelessness or the possibility they wouldn’t make it. Every ounce of their energy was directed toward survival.
Live simply so that others may simply live.
—QUAKER SAYING
On the journey to being unstuck, we need to be willing to adapt, change, and remember that for some people to have the bare necessities means others need to relinquish some of their comforts and conveniences. Every time you pick up an item made in a developing country, take a moment to imagine the person who made it—the woman repeatedly sewing the same seam hour after hour or straining her eyes to wire up a calculator that you can buy for under ten dollars. Think of the exhaustion of working long hours for little pay, the poverty, the effect on her home life. Then picture the people who have profited by her hard labor, including you and me. Send everyone a prayer that they find happiness and the root of all happiness; that they know kindness and the root of all kindness. Do whatever you can to realize your connection with your brothers and sisters everywhere. Going a step further, think of ways to take action to change these inequities.
61. Feel the Friendliness of Freedom
You are the fountain of the sun’s light
I am a willow shadow on the ground
You make my raggedness silky.
—RUMI, THE ESSENTIAL RUMI
Some of the true signs of being unstuck are friendliness, lightheartedness, receptivity, and joy. It’s a friendliness born of aliveness, awe, and fascination. You become able to look kindly into the eyes of others without fear because there’s nothing in the way—no shame, judgments, secrets, or agitation. Authentic warmth and friendliness are hallmarks of people who are free in their hearts and in their lives.
Have you ever noticed that