As we go through life we encounter many problems. For some, life itself can feel like an endless problem, from the moment we're born to the day we die.
For these people, life is a constant struggle. They blame others, judge the world, make excuses, and always have a reason why things aren't working out.
It's okay if you're one of those people. I was for most of my upbringing. The truth is, however, none of what I, or any such person points to, is really the problem.
Not being with the person we love, not having enough money, not having the right job - these are all just circumstances of life - not problems.
The real problem we experience is on the inside. The real problem is that we don't have the right relationship to these circumstances. More importantly, we don't have the right relationship to the present moment.
In order to have the proper relationship to the outside world, we first need to understand who we are in relation to everything else.
Who are we?
In short, we are the consciousness, the indwelling being, the one who's aware of our existence.
This might sound far out there, but it's actually very simple.
Think about it this way. You can take just about anything away - your job, your house, your loved ones, your limbs, even your thoughts and emotions - and you'll still be here.
That's proof that none of that other stuff is you. But take away your awareness of being, and the lights go out.
Even when people go into a coma, they come back to tell stories about what they saw. Despite the body medically losing consciousness, the essence of who we are, true consciousness, remains present.
Everything else - from our thoughts and emotions, the cars driving around us, to the rings of Jupiter - are all what I would consider the outside world.
In other words, they are not you, and you are not them.
Embracing the isness of reality
Nothing is inherently bad, or good.
It just is.
Things are, well, just things. Events are just events. It's our relationship to things that screws us up.
Just like Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, "there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
So why not just work at the root and deal with the only real problem - our relationship to the outer world - rather than trying to fix everything in the outer world?
We already know how the latter goes. We spend our lives struggling with everything and everybody. Just stop and ask yourself how this approach works for you.
I realized it wasn't doing me any good, which is why I'm exploring this new path.
I invite you to do the same.
Let's stop this nonsense. Let's wake up and realize what we're doing. Let's stop finding problems in everything that happens. That goes for what's happening in our minds and hearts, too.
Instead, let's just see everything in our realm of experience for what it is, just like the clouds floating by or the cars coming and going.
Pain comes, pain goes. Joy comes, joy goes. There's no need to resist one and cling to the other.
We can be separate from all of it, peaceful, while everything else can be chaotic.
Our problem is not who we are, who we love, what we have, or where we live. Our only problem is how we relate to everything else that is not us.
Live with substance!
Gabe Orlowitz
P.S. I'm working on something special!
In addition to publishing two new blog posts every week, I'm working on a more in-depth, practical guide aimed at helping you return to your true essence.
Put another way, it's a guide to help you stop getting so bothered by everything that happens.
The less time we spend on being bothered, the more time we spend on being our true, loving, joyful selves. At the end of the day, this is what we all want.
If you're interested in getting your hands on this free guide, leave a comment below saying, "I want it!" or "I want the guide!" This will help me gauge interest.
(You can even enter a fake name if you wish to remain anonymous.)
Thank you!
Gabe
