Shine Bright Like a Diamond

He had been abused and trampled upon for a long time by people he thought were his friends. All his dreams were at risk of crashing. He would have thrown in the towel a long time ago had it not been for his children. One look at their innocent and hopeful faces and he re-doubles his efforts. "I will be damned if this movie repeats itself for another generation", he says to himself. So he keeps on laboring, keeps on pushing with a force that can literally move mountains. The wheels of the Universe respond to his incredible magnetism; the odds of success move from impossible to unavoidable without even stopping at improbable.

Many philosophers have speculated on the will. Why is it that some people keep going whole others fold like plastic chairs. We are all divine, but where we differ is the environment we operate in, as well as in our starting point. The soul is the accumulated longing of the "I" that had to sign up for this movie for eons. Under extreme heat and pressure coal turns into a diamond that is beautiful to behold. Sufferance is meaningless and should be avoided period. But when you are faced with unavoidable pressure cooker situations what else can you do but dive right in and create the beautiful diamond you are born to be.

Diamonds in the Sun

Tao stands for transcendence. When you live your life like the person next door, you aim to get something out of life. A date with the attractive neighbor, a promotion at work, founding the start-up company you always dreamt about, getting your child into a good university, and so forth. Running after your passions is all you can do and all you should do anyhow, but there comes a time for every spiritual path traveler when you hear a knock from the 'beyond' and from that day on you are encouraged to tackle all the things you were born to accomplish with a little divine help and some external guidance along the way.

When you walk on the Tao, you realize that you are being digested by life. The ego drops just naturally. Mostly it will happen in a positive way, you will start realizing that to choose the opposite of what you have been running after all your life is a really good idea. You start seeing so much more happiness, harmony and well-being that way. But now and then your expectations might also be disappointed and you will realize that this way too ego gets used up, that is, if you are really open to the experience. The advantage a Tao traveler has over the ordinary folks is that no matter what happens, you can always reposition yourself and connect with the Tao again. The Tao is a focus really, you learn to zoom out of the ego perspective and where you look instead you see a magnificent sparkle.

All people experience ups and down, the Tao traveler is no exception. The 'real people' need more time to overcome their perceived losses; the Tao traveler will understand sooner or later in each situation that everything is just perfect as is. Whether the ego likes it or not, you will always see a silver lining in every dark cloud. This is not pollyannish thinking, this premise is build on experience instead. Every rainstorm comes with a rainbow attached; you may have to stay undercover for a couple of days, but the sun will always come back with an amazing brilliance.

Pain is here to remind you that something is off, that you have the choice to reposition yourself. There is no need for pain whatsoever, but there is need for letting go. Every attachment to a situation, to an environment, a person, a thing can cause your pain when it is taken away from you. It would be naive to think just because you are a Tao traveler you can get and keep whatever your heart desires. Change happens to everyone, but the Tao traveler always looks for the opportunity to transcend, to leave a little piece of the ego behind.

If you have just stumbled on the Tao there is one secret we would like to pass on. You will experience passing clouds and rain like everyone else, but the ensuing rainbow gets ever more intense with every experience life throws at you. They say that if you apply a lot of pressure and heat to coal and let it sit for a few million years, diamonds will come out of it. Well, accept the pressure that comes your way and be transformed with the Tao's magic into a magnificent diamond. Along the Tao you see light reflected in a magnificent way, all you have to do is to look out for the bright sparkles along your way and you can't miss it.

By Christian and Su Zhen







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