The Cheese Grates It: Don't Base Your Worth on Accidents of Time and DNA

The late Carrie Fisher once said to one of her detractors that youth and beauty are not accomplishments, they are accidents of time and DNA. Truer words were never spoken.

A Facebook acquaintance was lamenting that she used to be more psychically perceptive. She then went on to bemoan the fact that she "used to be pretty," but she was now fat. This is what I said to her, and it is advice that many of us need to hear.

As a person who yo-yo dieted until I was in my mid 40's, I want to encourage you not to see whatever your body type is as a bad thing. It took me all too many years to learn that. As for "pretty," that's very subjective and it isn't anything more than an accident of time and DNA.

 I can relate to what you're saying. I used to be far more perceptive, but I've got too many "real world" concerns at this point and sometimes I feel about as perceptive as a mud clod. It's very frustrating.

For my own part, at this point, I'm going to work on the perceptiveness thing and not worry about whether or not other people find me "pretty." If they do, well, honestly, meh, whatever. That's nice, I guess. If they don't, so what? They can find something else to look at.

~The Cheese Hath Grated It~

Different Vantage Points on the Journey

Different Vantage Points on the Journey

by

Opal 

I wanted to comment on the post by my friend Lily regarding whether or not things can be considered magical, but what I had to say was a little too long to be a comment. 

One commenter said that ze (not sure if commenter is male or female) did not agree with Lily's assessment that it is hard to see such a troubled world as magical. Ze was respectful in zir comments. However, Teammate Illsa took zir statement to be minimizing Lily's experiences as a person traveling through the Dark Night of the Soul. 

Illsa's expression of defense of her friend and indignation at a perceived attack is a third viewpoint.

May I express the viewpoint that none of these individuals are wrong in their perceptions of the world. They are simply coming from different vantage points on their own personal journey.

GSB sees the world as full of magic. Ze is not wrong. There are many magical things in the world, and in a sense there is magic in everything. I perceive magic as being an energy. Everything has energy.

Lily sees the world as being rather a sorrowful place and is at a point where she has trouble perceiving anything as being magical or good. Lily is not wrong. The world is indeed a place of sorrow and suffering.

Illsa sees the world as being filled with threats to that which is good. She is not wrong. There is a lot to fear in the world.

What is key is to respect the fact that we are all on different parts of the journey to enlightenment, the journey away from suffering. No person's experiences will duplicate another's. We are all alone in our particular experiences. Yet we can share similarities and alleviate our loneliness.

It is what is.

Namaste.