The Cave
Imagine the number of changes in the world since caveman days. Often accompanied by war, famine, and cruelty, they weren’t always welcome.
Living with Uncertainty This week, I passed the following quote posted outside a yoga studio: “Life is not about answers. It is learning to live in the middle of complete uncertainty and doing it gracefully.” It was written by Swami Chetunananda, a 2021 Lifetime Achievement Recipient for his interfaith work. The Swami is a well-published, American, spiritual leader who from college on devoted his life to creating positive change in the world.
I went to his website to learn more. He writes that we are in the world to grow so that we can express the possibility that exists within us. The path to get there is a spiritual practice based on meditation, one that releases tensions and expands awareness. Controlling the flow of your breath enables energy to expand in your body creating a desire and capacity to give back in service. By dissolving yourself in deep breathing, you become liberated of problems, waves of anger, and petty grievances. It frees you from delusions about what life is. He preaches that the freedom obtained through this type of practice brings happiness and unimaginable possibility.
The Swami speaks of other things I have a harder time accepting. And, though I am not one of the Chetunananda’s followers, I do adhere to some of his ideas. I practice aTranscendental Meditation and have been doing so for forty years. \
After hearing health professionals and politicians trying to guide us through mutating viruses and listening to scientists discuss likely disasters to come from rising temperatures, my belief that we have to learn to live with uncertainty is reinforced. Constant change is inevitable. It always has been, though many of us wish the world was more stable. We attempt to add consistency to our lives and resist transitions that might make us think differently. Living with uncertainty and being graceful about it, is not easy.
It’s why so many follow religious or political leaders who claim to have all the answers. Sorting through reams of information and continuously readjusting behavior to meet evolving situations is exhausting. Since it is easier to have someone do the work and interpret for us, we blindly follow charismatic speakers.
Unfortunately, too many of them tell followers that their way is the only way, the right way. Those who don’t agree are labeled traitors and deemed bad. All-knowing influencers can inflame crowds to make them angry and willing to hurt those with differing opinions. Yet, having violent emotions is neither good for the perpetrator nor the target of their displeasure. They’re the stuff from which ulcers are made and they bring down cultures unwilling to compromise and change.
There is another way forward that is less destructive. To live with equanimity requires a person to be centered so new information flows calmly through body and mind like a soft breeze. As it swirls around and connects with the old, it evolves and opens your mind to changing ideas without experiencing angst. You gain the ability to view what is happening through the eyes of hundreds of thousands of people rather than just your own. It builds a strong center that helps move you gracefully in an uncertain world.
Do share how you live with uncertainty in my comment section below
Art is always for sale. Contact me for information at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com. The Cave / 30” x 40”/ acrylic painting on canvas/ $699.
Resources:
Website, (2021) Swami Chetamamamda. Open to an Unimaginable Possibility. retrieved from http://chetanananda.org/teachings/
