The soul does not grow by addition but by subtraction.
-Meister Eckhart
When we experience the death of a loved one it is like having a piece of our body ripped off. There is no immediate comfort that will ease the amount of pain one suffers. The only thing that can be done is to keep going and attempt to allow some type of peace and understanding to ease its way back into our heart. Even then and for the rest of ones life the scars will remain from these wounds. When touched just right these scars can still send a pang of pain shooting through your being.
Many make the connection between us as humans and nature in general obscurities at best. As if we are something other than our environment or our surroundings. I believe this to be naive. Okay, so we have a big brain and have used it in an attempt to understand our world and to advance our specie. At least in whatever way the ones suggesting the “advancements” believe they should go.
When I walk through nature I see many signs of struggle. I seem to also be much more in touch with the struggles than with any so called advancements. Signs from the trees that show brutal effects of weather. The prairies that have been beaten down to near non-existence. Mother Nature too experiences loss and like us there is no immediate comfort that will ease the amount of pain she suffers.
I am not completely sure I agree with the saying, “misery loves company”, but it does have its place. The understanding that one is not alone during such times can be extremely helpful. When I see such loss, such pain, as that placed upon nature and the life it shares, I am reminded that we are not alone during these events. I believe we can even find solace, possibly small at first, but there nonetheless that all life experiences tragedies.
From the beginning of time life has never been easy. It has needed the tragedies and scars to grow, to change, and to improve. A life of complete bliss is a life without experiences. There is no such experience of good unless one has experienced the bad. I may be reaching a bit far with that. Could it be that humans are born with the innate ability to experience good no matter what? “Good” is probably not the best word to use to describe this. It could be that we are born with the innate ability to distinguish right from wrong instead of good from bad.
All life strives for a rich meaningful existence from beginning to end. The hard truth is, somewhere along the way there will be tragedy, disparity, heartbreak, and discontentment. As we begin our journey into wholeness it usually leads us first into darkness where we come face to face with those things we most want to avoid. Many when first encountering this will quickly turn back. Yet the path to wholeness has no alternate route. We must first walk through our darkness before we can come out the other side where the shinning sun and peace welcome us.
Rocky Mountain National Park | Brad Mangas
