On Freedom

It is not the denial of the pain, nor the clinging to the joy — it is the freeness in them both. That is what determines true freedom — for how many spiritual traditions, as well as secular ones, chase joy and refute pain, but how many people in them actually demonstrate true freedom? For, how can either state — in this likely Infinite existence — be truly the State? Joy is wonderful, to be sure, and lets one learn quickly and easily, perceive more clearly, and walk with a lighter gait. Yet, when pain is not truly absorbed and thoroughly ingested, it will linger, just beneath.

This is what acceptance truly is — it is not a mental note of, “I accept this”, for a mere transient thought tends not to bring one to a true movement. Rather, with real acceptance, it is like the wind passing through you, with no inner resistance. You fully allow the pain to be felt in its entirety — and once you do, you will see: it is smaller than you. It is contained within you. You are not contained within it, you are not smaller than it.

Does this make it hurt less? Hell no! It hurts more — but the amount of time it hurts for is much less. And then, once accepted, it subsides, not to resurface again, or at least not nearly as much, depending on how thoroughly you released, and how much you later on might choose to again revisit.

This is why most people cannot handle spicy food — because they deny it. If you allow it to burn and to feel it, the amount of energy that once hurt can now flip and feel good. It’s just raw energy, you can invert it. You deny it without realizing it, because you don’t want pain, you don’t want it to be real, and when you are in that subtle level of denial, a full completion cannot occur, because you are not yet facing reality, but rather moreso residing in an imagination.

This is about surrender, but not the enslavement that surrender can sometimes bring — for once the feeling is truly felt at the deepest level, it can finally be released, and then, as I said, you will see that all along, it was never big enough to contain you, but you were big enough to contain it.

So, feel what you feel — without denial, without clinging — the freeness in the ability to feel both positive and negative states will allow you a full spectrum of life, for, you are facing reality: this human condition has a range of feelings and emotions, and unlike the pretenders of spirituality who claim that all the states are all bad save for bliss, or the other type who claim them all to be illusion: rather, be a full human being, feel what you feel, but don’t stay glued to the states when their time passes.

It should go without saying, that this is about emotional pain. Obviously if there if physical pain, see a doctor.