As a human being it is natural to desire comfort and stability. This desire exists in a material world that is anything but stable. We reach for this desire of stability in the health of our body, the comfort of material possession and the stable energy of a content relationship.

When our body is ill, our bank account dry and our relationships are in shambles we create stress and aggravate further discomfort by desiring for the cessation of said “problem.” We fight and create an illusion of how things should be if everything was controlled by little old me. We cover fear, friction and stress with a longing to be back, safe again. This is what gives rise to substance abuse (the desire to be anywhere other than where we are). In reality this longing for comfort is announcing that we are not comfortable. If we seek comfort we are chasers of comfort, always putting off our better days. We put attention on the problem rather than introducing the solution. “What we put our attention on grows,” in many cases our attention is on what we don’t want, rather than enduring acceptance to see past the issue.

Have you ever stopped to think why it is that people spend thousands of dollars to get their but kicked? From athletics and back country skiing to scholars studying ceaselessly.  This pain endured is valued. And, those who choose to break down mental and physical obstructions reap the benefit of more space and clarity in their life. I am not saying that pain is essential for growth, but for most it is necessary.

It is not so much about seeking out pain, as it is about accepting pain as it comes. Accepting what we cannot control reaps more control than we could have ever fathomed. The efficiency of no-reaction conserves the energy to create beyond our means. When we choose to face this friction instead of reacting to things we cannot control, a whole new world shines forth.

A smoker fears the loss of crutch that underlies the impulse and mere thought of a cigarette. The individual phenomena that is everything they are is funneled to a minuscule point of thought and action of a cigarette to their lips. This is not freedom. This is attachment. This is suffering. Furthermore; when that same individual chooses to face the friction of whatever habit he/she has created and feel through it, they become something bigger. This person transcends the limitations set upon him/herself by past impressions and lets his attention rest in evenness.

Friction and stress however powerful is fleeting, it will pass. When we break the cycle and boundaries of mental impulse that have been habituated by our peers and environment we open to the power of this moment, clear unobstructed intelligence that is not bound by separation in any sense. This may take much repetition at first, but it does get easier. It becomes what you are, even empty and pure, ready for any undertaking (not limited to cycles).

The simple complexity of using the silent, ever-present power of Being present in this moment, amongst the force of becoming and creating transcends all need for action… Feel the friction and know its power to create space, until we no longer fear it. We become indifferent to stress, thereby cultivating a state of consciousness that enables us to see a depth and power of life that has always been, just veiled by stress.

Practice acceptance: Acceptance cultivates the ability to be super-fluid to circumstance.

This article may be abstract to you… Please feel free to comment and connect with insight or inquiry.