The direction we give our lives depends on our frame of reference. If we limit our world to our daily interests, we are disconnected from reality. We won't be able to understand our experiences or make decisions that take into account their effect on the whole. If, on the other hand, we see ourselves as an integral part of a whole, we change our attitude: instead of asking, we learn to give; instead of wanting to win, we act impartially; instead of wanting to possess more and more, we direct our energy to necessary and creative activities. We no longer want to control others; we work to master ourselves. We want to consciously integrate ourselves with the world and life through total participation.
There are virtues which help us to expand the definition of our relationship with life: humility, disattachment, participation and reverence.
Humility makes us conscious of our limitations, helping us to recognize that our view of reality is partial and temporary. We are open to learn from everything and everyone.
Disattachment makes us conscious of the temporality of an individual life. We know that when we have a great desire to possess, our relationship with life becomes a struggle against time, since nothing outside ourselves is permanent. Disattachment from the results of our efforts allows us to stop depending on what is external and transitory and to discover the eternity inherent in continuous becoming.
Participation makes us conscious of the human condition, helps us to extend the boundaries of the personal and to become one with the surrounding reality. This integrates the particular with the general and unifies life.
Reverence toward the things that transcend human understanding makes us conscious of our real possibilities. Reverence for the Divine keeps us open and permeable to the message of life, helping us to improve our interpretation of events and expand our view of reality.
To the extent that we harmonize the way we live our personal life with our global view of life, we gradually understand the stages of our lives and the teaching provided by both sorrow and happiness. We distinguish between fleeting moments of joy-the result of passing experiences-and lasting peace and happiness-which arise from understanding, acceptance and participation. Being aware of the message in each experience unifies our lives and leads us to the fulfillment of our spiritual ideal. Moreover, the integration of our individual lives with universal life awakens a sense of eternity.
The more harmonious our relationship with life is, the more profound is our understanding of its message until life, the Divine and our very selves are seen as a unity.
It is good to make a habit of remembering the aspects of life we usually overlook in daily life-for example, that everything is transitory. A pain is experienced, but it passes.
Author and Source: Jorge Waxemberg