Surrender

I believe in order to find balance and peace I must surrender to the path of the universe. What causes me the most pain and stress is when I resist life’s unpredictable journey. I must accept I am not in control of people, places, and things. I know this is easier said than done. Why is it that we don’t try to control the seasons as they pass us each year? We can accept this as beyond our control. So why don’t we look at the rest of our lives this way? I believe we cling to the illusion that we are actually in control of life. I humbly accept that I am not in control. I do believe I am responsible for how I choose to perceive, embrace, and process this lack of control. Bruce Lee once said, “You must be like water. When water is in a tea cup, it becomes the tea cup. When water is in a bowl, it becomes the bowl. You must be fluid like water”. This philosophy is simple but very hard to apply. Many of us are very rigid in our conditioned thinking, to the point that we are not teachable. This thinking is like stagnant water, which is poisonous and of no use. The key to the path of surrender is accepting life on life’s terms. John Lennon once said, “Life is something that happens while we are busy making other plans”. Another key element is letting go of self-will and trusting a higher will. How fearful I must be to egotistically think the universe revolves around me. The third key is humility. I strive to be humble by acting out of love and not fear. It is at this place of love that I am balanced, complete within myself, and at peace amidst the chaos of life.