Having it Your Way

Arjun in the Bhagavad Gita had a mental break-down when he had to enter a bloody war with his friends and relatives; it was Lord Krishna who reminded him of his mission to do his job whether he liked it or not. Arjun's mental breakdown led to a divine lecture during which Lord Krishna showed him the workings of the universe and explained the different paths to God. Don't get me wrong, no one expects you to fight any wars or do anything that violates your notion of a spiritual path. Arjun was a warrior and fighting wars just happened to be his mission; you have your mission to fulfill. But expect resistance along the Way just because the resistance still lives in you.  No worries though, life - the Tao - is doing its best to remove these interferences for you. That unfortunately means that you have to sleigh a few monsters just like Arjun had to.

What does "having it your way" really mean? You want to be in a professional environment without ugliness, want to raise your children without competing or paying for any top schools, want to live in a nice house without any neighbors looking down on you. You want to be serene, you want to have the ability to meditate, pray,  and emitting positive energy for your environment all the time. Well, if you hit obstacles along this path please respect them. If you see ugliness, greed, competition or stress in your life, chances are certain aspects of your being aren't yet quite as spiritual as you think despite your best intentions.

Celebrate your life as is. Welcome every voice no matter how pleasant or annoying it might be. It is all "you" being reflected back to you. Don't aim for becoming a monk - unless of course being a monk is your mission - that would only mean you are running away from who you are deep down inside. Live your life like everyone else but with with a very different motive. The drive of a Tao traveler is to be always connected with Life. So allow life to "digest" you and see how these hidden tendencies of yours dissolve in the process. You leave them behind just as a snake disposes of its skin.

But you can do that only if you face your life just the way Arjun faced his monsters. Let other people have it their way while you only experience the Way - the Tao. By walking the Tao you live in the best of all worlds, so without aiming for it you essentially have it
your way in the end.