Carry On

It is the fulfillment of our life which should be our aim: 

not avoidance of defeat, nor victory, but only traveling on.

(E. Graham Howe)

I met a colleague at work who always brings two pens into a meeting. I asked him why and he remarked that once in a meeting his pen ran out of ink, so he couldn't write down what was being said. To avoid this ever happening to him he now always brought two. Actually, it got even weirder, he added that once someone asked him for a pen as he went into a meeting, so he now always carries three instead!

We like to protect ourselves from losses, that is, many of us do, not all. Some of us are risk loving instead of risk averse. Especially in the financial industry I am working in, I have met many  who have nothing but the upside in mind. We are all wired differently; I only found out late in life that I am in fact risk averse, but it also doesn't matter anymore. A spiritual traveler has a role to fulfill, whether he likes it or not. The WAY exposes me to the experiences that I need to live through.

We alternate between the cravings of the "I" and the fears of the "I", and as the decades accumulate we become ever more rigid to get what we want and to keep what we have already acquired. A spiritual path is the opposite, piece by piece it removes the armor that we once put up, until we face life naked and without any protection whatsoever. Just speaking for myself, while I may still be risk-averse, along the WAY there is no protecting, so you might as well close your eyes and enjoy the ride. You will travel light but everything you ever needed will be supplied on a as needed basis. It is not always easy, but you don't have any choice anyway. Simply carry on!