Posts in March 22, 2011

Survival This level is defined by almost constant worry. The worries may vary—will there be enough money? Will my partner leave or cheat? Will my kids get sick? Will I age too fast or be seen as unattractive? Will I lose my sexual power, get fired, fail to recover an investment, or lose a business deal? Will the harvest fail or oil prices skyrocket?

It’s strange how the phrase “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” has been misunderstood. It doesn’t mean that having good intentions will automatically lead you to hell. It’s not about how every good intention hides bad motives, nor that if you do good for others, they will betray you. Those ideas are simply wrong.

What is a revolution? It is the uprising of a new regime against the old, aiming to reach a higher level. Something new is being born, but it remains entangled with the conditions of the “old.” To break free from this cycle, the “new” must rebel with such intensity that the old either falls away on its own or is consumed in the fire of conflict — whether by terror, conviction, or awareness of the parties involved. This moment is always a breaking point. It’s difficult. Often painful. Sometimes unbearably so.

I’m not talking about wearing your pants backward or sleeping upside down. I’m talking about the discomfort inside — the kind that comes from growth. Growth always means stepping outside the cozy bubble of your comfort zone.

Osho once shared a memorable story—his books often being transcripts of his talks—about how the giver should be grateful. He told of a rich man who brought a bag of money to a guru. The guru accepted the bag silently. The rich man, a bit offended, said...

I can easily look at myself from the outside and see a completely different person. Suddenly, I see myself the way others might see me—with all my traits, not always the ones that would easily be liked by the majority. And it doesn’t bother me at all.