July 22nd ~ Sorrow is the result of a shock, it is the temporary shaking up of a mind that has settled down, that has accepted the routine of life. Something happens–a death, the loss of a job, the questioning of a cherished belief–and the mind is disturbed. But what does a disturbed mind do? It finds a way to be undisturbed again; it takes refuge in another belief, in a more secure job, in a new relationship. Again the wave of life comes along and shatters its safeguards, but the mind soon finds still further defenses; and so it goes on. This is not the way of intelligence, is it?
No form of external or inward compulsion will help, will it? All compulsion, however subtle, is the outcome of ignorance; it is born of the desire for reward or the fear of punishment. To understand the whole nature of the trap is to be free of it; no person, no system, no belief can set you free. The truth of this is the only liberating factor–but you have to see it for yourself, and not merely be persuaded. You have to take the voyage on an uncharted sea.
December 17th, 2019 ~ This idea or relationship of shock and sorrow is an interesting one. I have felt it my whole life but seeing them together described in this way now helps me see it more clearly. Shock is something that we don’t put enough stock in. We face it all the time, but we often don’t think of it as a big deal unless you are a victim of war or trauma. A therapist friend of mine who has studied EMDR, which is a technique that helps victims of trauma process it, says we all have trauma. Everyone has lost someone close to us or received bad news that is extremely upsetting. SHOCK. But we go right into trying to solve the problem. We feel anxious, angry or fearful. Acknowledging shock is very empowering to me. So it is with uncertainty.
But then sorrow is there. Of course, this is hard to experience. We try to solve this problem as well. As I have written, Krishnamurti lost his brother in the late 1920’s. They were extremely close, partly because they had been through so much together when they left India in their teens for nearly 10 years to study in England before returning to India as young men. It is said that Krishnamurti was inconsolable for 10 days or so when Nityananda died of complications from Tuberculosis. Imagine if that happened now. Could our family and friends allow this kind of space without trying to send you to the Emergency room for a psychiatric evaluation? Probably not. We hate to see our loved ones suffer and in pain. But if we understood the nature of suffering and sorrow, maybe we wouldn’t be so fearful for each other.