Why do you hasten to remove anything which hurts your eye,
while if something affects your soul you postpone the cure until next year?
Horace
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Today's Meditation:
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Today's Meditation:
It is true that we pay very close attention to the immediate problems,
those things that cause pain to our nerves, and not so close attention to those
things that aren't nearly as obvious. Why does it take alcoholics and
drug addicts so long to fight behaviors that are damaging them terribly?
If they had a thorn in their foot, they'd remove it immediately, but the
addiction, which does far more damage than any thorn ever could, is left to
fester and cause further harm.
I know that part of the reason has to do with the fact that we're not taught to recognize such problems or the harm they do. Another part of the problem is that even if we do recognize them, we have a tendency to minimize their effects on us, and even deny that they have any effect at all. "I can quit any time I want," we say, or "I'll quit cheating on my taxes next year, when I have more money," or "I need this more than he does."
What happens when we do hurt our souls? We can see a cut or a sore, but the damage to our spirits in not to be seen, only felt. And if we devote ourselves to constant entertainment--constant distractions to keep ourselves from thinking about the condition of our souls--then we develop plausible deniability about whether there's even any damage at all. But the damage is there, whether we admit it or not, and eventually it will catch up with us and bring us down for a time.
Our souls are very important, but we tend to live as soulless creatures, simply making our ways through each day without thinking about how we'll nourish and care for our spiritual sides. We can damage our souls with our behaviors, so it's very important that we make sure that the behaviors are appropriate not just for the people we are, but also for the people we want to be.
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Questions to consider:
Why is it often hard to see any damage that we might be doing to our souls?
How might we take stock of the condition of our souls in order to care for them well?
Are you a spiritual being, or simply a physical being? Do you act like one?
* * * * *
For further thought:
Many of us unknowingly damage our Souls with our negative attitudes and actions or by simple neglect. By making the relationship with your Soul an important part of your life, however, by honoring it in your daily routine, you give your life greater meaning and substance. Use your experiences--all of them--as opportunities to nourish your Soul!
I know that part of the reason has to do with the fact that we're not taught to recognize such problems or the harm they do. Another part of the problem is that even if we do recognize them, we have a tendency to minimize their effects on us, and even deny that they have any effect at all. "I can quit any time I want," we say, or "I'll quit cheating on my taxes next year, when I have more money," or "I need this more than he does."
What happens when we do hurt our souls? We can see a cut or a sore, but the damage to our spirits in not to be seen, only felt. And if we devote ourselves to constant entertainment--constant distractions to keep ourselves from thinking about the condition of our souls--then we develop plausible deniability about whether there's even any damage at all. But the damage is there, whether we admit it or not, and eventually it will catch up with us and bring us down for a time.
Our souls are very important, but we tend to live as soulless creatures, simply making our ways through each day without thinking about how we'll nourish and care for our spiritual sides. We can damage our souls with our behaviors, so it's very important that we make sure that the behaviors are appropriate not just for the people we are, but also for the people we want to be.
* * * * *
Questions to consider:
Why is it often hard to see any damage that we might be doing to our souls?
How might we take stock of the condition of our souls in order to care for them well?
Are you a spiritual being, or simply a physical being? Do you act like one?
* * * * *
For further thought:
Many of us unknowingly damage our Souls with our negative attitudes and actions or by simple neglect. By making the relationship with your Soul an important part of your life, however, by honoring it in your daily routine, you give your life greater meaning and substance. Use your experiences--all of them--as opportunities to nourish your Soul!
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