Thursday, September 15, 2016

Expect Nothing But Be Grateful For Everything

Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice.  Better than knowledge is meditation.  But better still is surrender of attachment to results, because there is immediate peace.”
-Bhagavad Gita
 
Christians have the Bible.  Muslims have the Koran.  Buddhists have the Noble Eightfold Path.  Hindus have the Bhagavad Gita.  This quote brings many thoughts to me.  In the early days of my career we trained people how to do things.  We basically said, “If this happens, then do this”.  People learned the appropriate response to particular problems but most didn’t understand why.  They knew the “how” of things but not the “why” of things.  We taught them mechanical practice without the knowledge of understanding.  Another thought that comes to mind is our obsession with results.  We are always focused on the destination to the point that we miss the journey.  As the Buddhists say, “The journey is the destination”.  I just had a conversation with my wife yesterday about how she’s always five steps ahead.  Before we land at our destination, she is already working on the trip home.  In her mind, she’s just being proactive.  In my mind she needs to relax and chill out.  Attachment to results is also another way of having expectations.  Expectations are usually planned disappointments.  We may have hopes that we want to come true but most of our expectations are doomed to failure and bring us nothing but disappointment.  One of my co-workers has a motto that goes “Enjoying everything, regretting nothing”.  It is a great way to live.  Another similar stance towards life would be to “Expect nothing.  Be grateful for everything”.  This is the way to inner peace.

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