Contented Beings

A FAVORITE QUOTE from Helen Keller is, "Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn whatever state I may be in, therein to be content."

Contentment is, without exception, no matter what is going on, the highest attainment. It's a total and final acceptance of who we are in this life. Then there is no yearning and nothing is missing. When we experience contentment, we experience that aspect of ourselves which is eternal. It is like our inner Self acknowledging and experiencing the truth of itself.

It does not mean inaction or passivity, and it does not mean not caring about people and things. From a contented space, we can be far more effective in walking the delicate balance between fully accepting "what is," while at the same time, seeing "what could be" and working for change.

This state does not depend on outer conditions or circumstances, and it has been experienced in the face of abject poverty, misfortune, confinement, and even torture. One of the most contented beings I have ever met is a fellow prisoner who will spend the rest of his life in prison. When I asked him how he manages to have such a cheerful outlook, he replied, "I choose to live my life in here one day at a time and to always look for the things to be thankful for in each day." It's so simple and yet, how often we forget this.

Just as the presence of light removes all traces of darkness, the presence of contentment removes sorrow, fear, or suffering of any nature. Without light there is no way to get rid of the darkness. Darkness is only the absence of light. In the same way contentment is the light that removes the darkness of negativity and limitation. In the presence of this light, all the baser emotions are dissolved and dispelled.

It's such a freeing feeling to realize that we can be content simply be deciding to be. Then we become supremely independent, for we know our contentment is not dependent on anything or anyone. Then we can relax with a secret smile.

Love's Pathway

WHAT IF WE ASKED OURSELVES what it is we are dedicated to when we meet a homeless person on the street, a child in tears, a person we have struggled with, or someone who disappoints us? Can we let go of our resistance, judgments, and fears? Can we find the courage to remain present when we want to flee?

The path of love involves a willingness to go beyond the borders of our experience and judgments. What would it mean to place myself in the heart of a begging child? What would it be like to never know if I will eat today, depending entirely on the handouts of strangers? Journeying beyond our familiar borders, our hearts can tremble, but then we have the possibility of truly making a difference.

We have the capacity to give so much of ourselves, but in most cases we are unaware of what we have to give and the impact we can have on the world around us. One thing is for certain: we should never underestimate the power of our own love.

Remarkable openings can occur when the great sigh of letting go, of sinking through level after level of fear and holding, reaches the heart. The heart becomes restored when we surrender our pain and begin to release the grasping that turns the open palm to a closed fist. When the heart peels back those once supple fingers that have gradually become frozen into a fist around its fears and attachments, it is at first surprisingly painful to open that cramped closeness. We soon find, however, that it is the pain that ends the pain. Each finger opening in this process of letting go increases our capacity to love and melts the armor into plowshares.

The path of love asks us to transform our own hearts and minds in the moment. It is cultivated one step and one moment at a time, and each of these steps lessens the mountain of sorrow in the world and adds to the compassion in the world.

© 2001-09, Tom Brown

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles "Tom" Brown was a successful investor who did very well in real estate, oil, and the stock market. Friends began asking him to invest for them, too. And he did. Things went well, and more people heard about his abilities and wanted to be included in the investment strategies he had devised. All went well until there was a dramatic change in the market. All that went up turned down, and Tom wanted everyone to still have a profit - his big mistake - as he wanted to be well thought of. Tom was accused of defrauding investors. Although it was shown that he had never diverted any money for himself other than a modest commission, through unbelievable mishandling by an incompetent or dishonest attorney, what should have been a one-year sentence became a 17-year sentence. At the time of judgment, Tom was 62 years of age.

The purpose of Tom's blog is not to dwell on the injustice, but rather, to show the incredible unfoldment of consciousness in a man who has taken this sentence and created a workshop of Soul and Spirit out of it. His words are designed to help us see into life and do better with what we've been given. Tom's Beyond the Wall blog is located at www.Beyondthewall.blogs.com.  If you would like to write to Tom, he appreciates correspondence.  He does not have access to a computer but can be reached via Charles "Tom" Brown, #140237, ASPC - Florence - East Unit, P.O. Box 5000, Florence, AZ 85232.