'Till Death Does Us Part

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. (Viktor Frankl)

I read the story of an author in the Spiritual Networks Community who was struggling to get her book sold. To her it was more than just a matter of pride and financial success, she wanted to succeed. When it flopped she became increasingly depressed, but she kept on pushing, and kept on asking others how she could turn that failed project around. Until one day someone half jokingly recommended to start a seminar describing her failed experience to others. And that was exactly what she did, and from there on the book sales picked up.

I started this note with a Viktor Frankl comment. If there is one person who knows something about the formative pressure of a situation you can't escape from, it is this Holocaust survivor. A "make-it or break-it" situation defines us, just as a diamond is formed after millions of years of extreme pressure and heat. The survivors will succeed for they will adjust to a situation until finally a door opens somewhere. The before mentioned author did whatever she deemed necessary to succeed - the more power to her.

For me personally, I would never marry spirituality and professional success. The whole point of a spiritual path is the absence of having any agenda. So when I finally graduate to the next profession as a spiritual coach and writer, it will be an avocation of sorts. Come success, come failure, I leave the outcome entirely up to a higher authority without having an opinion on it. I need a few readers like you to make this endeavor meaningful, and I have a hunch GOD always will send a few interested souls my way. But whether I ever make any money in this occupation, or whether I will be considered "successful" by others is completely beside the point.

To be honest, I am not a fan of the "Till death does us part" philosophy. The reason is perhaps that I have operated on will-power alone for way too long. I certainly had a "make-it or break-it" attitude when I got my doctorate in graduate school, and also when I wanted to prove myself as a strategist in the financial industry. But a spiritual path is a graduation of sorts from all this will-power stuff. While I am still active in the financial industry today, the wheels are merely turning to pass my legacy on to others. Today I no longer need to prove anything to anyone, especially not to me.

While my heart thirst for freedom, I am bound today like everyone else. Our boys are not yet teenagers; bills have to be paid and they have to be launched on their journey. We instinctively know our responsibilities when GOD knocks on our door, and I will do whatever it takes to see this mission through. Yet, the "'till death does us part" philosophy is an affirmation of sorts that is simply not necessary. God, in Neale Walsch's "Conversations with God", reminded us that the institution "marriage" is a human invention. Yet, God will be the first to tell you that there is nothing that really matters besides love. Love binds us together, and no karmic or judicial bonds are necessary for people who are meant to be with other to stay together. In fact, that's what a spiritual path is all about. Energies that match stick together, while energies that clash will break apart. Everything happens naturally along the WAY, and no will-power, institutional arrangements and legal documents are required. 

Along GOD's WAY love will always surround us, 'till death does us part.