Are The Pain And Suffering Inevitable?

Recognizing Unwanted States and Feelings

What do we do when pain and negative feelings come? How can we help ourselves, and set us free from the negative states and accompanying feelings?

The first thing that we must acknowledge is that pain and unpleasant feelings are inevitable in our lives. We can't preserve ourselves from their influence. Every healthy individual is subject of their rule once in a while. Why? We are simply part of the Universe's circles. And if we percept ourselves as something extracted from the Universe, than we'll easily measure our own pain as bigger and more unpleasant that the other one's. However, the Universe is an Unique Entity of which we all are part of. To understand pain and suffering, we need to adjust our focus, from an individual standpoint to "higher perspective". From that point of view, no matter who experiences greater pain, the Universe grows! And that is the ultimate purpose of the pain in our lives. We grow through our pain, so does the Universe. Through us, thus through itself.

When we recognize the negative states and accompanying feelings being around, the natural reaction is:" I'm being miserable, I don't like myself being like that and I'll do something to change that!

That's fine. We've recognized the unwanted state, and made resolution to change it. However, very often we make a simple, but crucial mistake that leads to a failure of our attempt. What's that? We begin to resist the negative feelings, trying to avoid them or replace them by desired ones. Nevertheless, it doesn't work like that. There is and old saying:" Whatever you try to resist, it persists." Yes, there are methods and techniques which provide replacement of negative states and feelings with the opposite ones, but by practicing them we take our chances to convert the CAUSE of the unwanted states into trauma. We can't possibly replace the EVENTS that might cause unwanted states and feelings. Its like desiring the Autumn to be replaced by Springtime, be cause the former makes us feel blue, and the last one brings some vigor. When the wind comes, the tree in the field doesn't resist, but follow the wind's pace and move its trunk accordingly. What would happen if it try to resist? It would be easily uprooted.

Remember, the Universe has its circles, just like any other entity and we don't have access to the Universe's main switchboard.

So, is anything we can do about it?

Of course there is! Speaking in computer language, maybe you can't ultimately control your BIOS, but you can surely command your operational system.

1) Don't resist your negative feelings. Let them be! If you resist and fight them, they'll stay around, and come back stronger, and again, and again……If you let them be as they are, just observing them, and see yourself and "them" as a part of a big circle that MOVES and CHANGES, you'll know that they'll pass through. Don't give them a reason to stay. If they are around, there is a reason for that. There is a valuable lesson to be learnt out of their existence. Just observe them. Don't even seek an answer. It will come suddenly, when they discharge and go away. If you fight them back, you'll miss the golden opportunity that every adversity brings along. Stay detached, and observe as if it’s happening to somebody else. Yes, it is possible. Don't believe me, try it. The Mantra is: Don't resist, observe.

Switching To Positive Counterpoint

2) Next, pay good attention to what happens when the pain and accompanying feelings are gone. This is very important! Its the crucial point of getting in tune with Universe's circles that ARE favorable. When they are gone, for some valuable moment, there is a void. Speaking in time-space language, for a limited period there is an empty spot in our being that is to be filled with desired content. Pay good attention, if you miss it, it would be probably filled with another unwanted content. The vacuum is very unstable state. There are happenings going on around all the time, so our energy would be easily, unconsciously attracted and sucked up by something out of our control. Be alert. Use the void and fill it with something you have burning desire about. Lose your imagination free, be creative in visualization your goal. See yourself being there, feel what would you feel when you get there, hear the voices and sounds that would be around, smell your success etc. Then switch your imaginary viewpoint, and experience the above as you were somebody else seeing you achieving that goal. Than again return in your own physical/emotional/mental body and notice the difference of two states. It will create an energy flow momentum. Another need of careful attention - don't get disappointed of not being there NOW. In order to achieve something, you need to:

* Be (in) the Void (that's the only "place" where the process of Creation could start. Remember: "In the beginning, there was nothing......"),
* Act (create) using it (the Void) as starting point,
* Achieve in the Space/Time. It means, a time is needed for manifestation. However, once there is a single thought of something, its a matter of time when the material appearance will take place. Being much more inert than the mental one, the physical energy needs more time to flow.

3) Next and last. Forget about it! Yes, don't try to feed your "creation" by adding more and more attention to the final goal. Instead, recognize the variety of opportunity that would come and fit in your path. Don't discard or neglect any of them. Investigate them, use them, test them and keep record of them. Each one coming around has a purpose. Just a single illustration. When asked how did it feel to fail 200 times trying to invent a vaccine for polio, Jonas Salk, the inventor responded: "I never failed 200 times at anything in my life. I discovered 200 ways how not to make a vaccine for polio." By the way, following the context......Thomas Edison had tried 10,000 materials as filaments for his invention, the electric light bulb. Failure? Only if you see the things extracted from the Whole and within limited timeframe......which is not the wisest way to see the things.

So, instead on the goal, focus on the Journey. When you succeed, you'll notice a strange phenomena - the Journey has provided more satisfaction and excitement than the achievement itself. Then, there is another golden opportunity that you will not like to miss - that's the exact moment to set yourself another goal, a higher, more precious one. By practicing this strategy over and over again, you'll eventually see yourself setting goals specific for higher self and purpose than your physical/emotional/mental self. Embrace the insight to the purpose of your existence there. You'll know the Journey has been worth walking it.

"Success is like happiness, cannot be pursued. It must ensue. And it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself."

Victor Frankl

The pain is inevitable, but the suffering is optional.

Mitko Keramitchiev ( http://www.interconn-ubs.net )

Copyright © 2003. All rights reserved.

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Mitko Keramitchiev is a business consultant operating in Macedonia through its company Interconn UBS and its daughter branches. His bestselling book "Fifth Dimension, A New Paradigm about LIFE" has become an eye opener and inspirational gateway to personal transformation for thousands of individuals.

A Proper Way To See People Who Challenge Us

“Evolution, Progress, Prosperity... it’s all about braking limitations. Breaking the patterns is the starting point”

When everybody agrees upon everything, than something is definitely wrong. Every new, great idea, when emerges for the first time is in minority. Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad and the “others”, had spoken something that nobody else did. Those men were “pattern breakers”. They had recognized the rottenness of the current situation and started to alter the people’s usual way of thinking. Then, the change of the acting followed, be cause when one sees the thing from different stand point and notices the difference, the old goes where it belongs – to the past, and it’s replaced by the “fresh”. Only then the progress is possible.

Unfortunately, there are always individuals around who enjoy the current situation and who are willing to defend and even fight for Status Q. They object any change that could challenge their position. They feel comfortable and don’t like to be disturbed in any way. Are they to be blamed for that? Well, everybody likes to be fed, sheltered and with other basic needs met. So far so good. As far as they “do something” for satisfying those needs, it’s fine for everybody. They wouldn’t have surplus of energy to challenge others in attaining their basic needs. The trouble arises when they start to enjoy riches that are not direct merit of their efforts. Somewhere on their way they lose the connection and criteria on what is real need and what is luxury, what is actual and what is virtual.

Then, when those for whom the actual situation is not acceptable any longer, would emerge from their comfort of being modestly satisfied (“I’d rather keep my mouth shut, and not jeopardize what I already possess!”. Do you recognize the concept?), and start explore their ways to change it, they feel insecure. Insecurity, in other hand, leads to aggression, which is easily applied. They have the energy (they don’t “earn” all that they possess, remember?), and excuse (somebody threatens their position, right?) to be violent. In their short-term perception, they strive to keep the situation preserved. (Un)fortunately for them, there is no such situation as ‘stability’ except in a laboratory, which the Universe certainly is not.

Let’s rise our stand-point a little bit more. Let’s not take side in this Change-Status Q conflict. Let’s understand that every regular human being is from time to time in one of those situations – striving to change the unacceptable or holding on what finds comfortable. So denying our inability to face the inevitability is not going to help us anyway. Accepting, however is! Acceptance is one of the most powerful methods to speed up our progress. If combined with the Change, it’s leads us to highest Wisdom.

Being One with the Universe, following it's endemic circles, getting in tune with them, accepting them, but changing the things that we have ultimate influence to, is like swimming with the stream. Swimming against it is also possible, but causes a lot of pain and struggle in vain.

Remember Jesus on the cross and his final acceptance right after the dilemma if left alone by the “father”? Yes, accepting the inevitable is highest form of Wisdom. Not being able to do so is pretty painful. But how to differentiate what is to be accept and what to be changed? Well, that’s quite a challenge. And very personal one. An insight that one must to come up by oneself. There are not shortcuts here. A personal, straight, direct experience is prerequisite. However, since there is not permanent stability, what IS today might be (and will be) changed tomorrow. Live and adjust. And adjusting means change, thus to really live, means to continuously change.

So, when challenged by the “others”, let’s rise above our usual pattern of thinking, acting, living……and see them as ones that are here to speed up our progress. I know, it’s not easy. It requires discipline……and capacity to forgive. But if the life was easy, would we have been able to grow?

Mitko Keramitchiev (www.interconn-ubs.net)

Copyright © 2003. All rights reserved.