A dad says to his young son, "Go tidy up your room", and the son responds, "What does it matter? It will get dirty again." The father can argue saying that if he keeps it tidy every minute, he never has to tidy up, and the son can argue saying that if he never tidies it up, he never has to tidy it up again. Even though both of them know the truth, they argue against each other, because the discussion is not about cleaning the boy's room, it's about winning the argument, and not having to suffer a failure in front of an over-bearing father.
I remember thinking in my childhood, when I knew nothing about biology and metabolism, that if we keep excreting everything we eat, why do we have to eat at all?
A snake regularly sheds its skin after it grows a new one inside the old one.
What do all these three arguments have in common? Change.
We have to suffer to change ourselves and become better people. By tidying up his room unwillingly, the boy realized that happiness lies neither in winning the argument with his father, nor in following orders, but in doing his work in peace. Even though the boy won't admit, he knows that he feels peaceful while he is immersed in the task of cleaning up his room. There lies the purpose of suffering. Inner peace.
I remember thinking in my childhood, when I knew nothing about biology and metabolism, that if we keep excreting everything we eat, why do we have to eat at all?
A snake regularly sheds its skin after it grows a new one inside the old one.
What do all these three arguments have in common? Change.
We have to suffer to change ourselves and become better people. By tidying up his room unwillingly, the boy realized that happiness lies neither in winning the argument with his father, nor in following orders, but in doing his work in peace. Even though the boy won't admit, he knows that he feels peaceful while he is immersed in the task of cleaning up his room. There lies the purpose of suffering. Inner peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment