Only the Inadequate is Productive

See the stone set in your eyes,
see the thorn twist in your side,
I'll wait for you.
Sleight of hand and twist of fate,
on a bed of nails she makes me wait.
And I wait without you.

Through the storm, we reach the shore.
You gave it all but I want more
and I'm waiting for you.
With or without you,
with or without you,
I can't live with or without you.
(U2, With or Without You)

In the spiritual community we often have the ideal of love, peace and happiness, yet if we are willing to look beneath the hood, we perceive struggle as well. Discussing these struggles is complicated and sometimes counterproductive given that we all come from a different vantage point. Yet, while our struggles are idiosyncratic, there is an overriding theme that we all should be aware of: the pressure within often kick-starts the search for the complete, the perfect, the infinite. And for that we should be grateful for.

The German poet Goethe once said, "Only the inadequate is productive." Why do we talk and write so much in the spiritual community? Because we want this tension and conflict inside to be over with and we channel that conflicted energy into our search for God. We are literally on a healing mission. And if we truly understand where we coming from we have in fact a perfect opportunity of letting go today. We live in the best of all worlds. Our struggles are in fact perfect imperfections that catapult us on our journey Home. Our creative outlet is our mission; our struggle is the energy source for creation and the ability to let go.

When I looked for the U2 song that expresses that inner struggle quite well - "With or a Without You" - I came across The Joshua Tree Tour in 1987 in which Bono ended the song after a beautiful guitar solo with "Yeah, we'll shine like stars in the summer night. We'll shine like stars in the winter light; one heart, one hope, one love, with or without you." Well, that's it. Shine like a star! Reflect and magnify that tremendous energy that slumbers inside you. Honor your starting point,find your creative outlet and share your light with others. When the light is shining, the conflict is gone and peace, love and happiness are with you.