Licking the Razor's Edge (2015)

Step 06: CELEBRATE LIFE
It is relatively safe to say that everyone comprehends the priceless nature of life; that we
all realize that we have each been given one shot to make the most of the human
experience (at least in our current bodies with our current identities), and that we should
therefore make the most of it. And most folks understand that in order to do so, we must
at some point (the sooner the better) set aside our fears and start “living life to the
fullest”.
And yet it is important to realize as well that the most popular ways of “celebrating life”
are often the most counterproductive – intensifying our fears more than relieving them;
burdening our lives more than setting us free.
For example:
*We are told to “be successful” by working hard in order to attain the “good things in
life” (primarily via “financial security”, an oxymoron if there ever was one), and yet
doing so only ensures that we ultimately fail to obtain the things in life that truly do
matter.
*We are told to “party hard & “have fun”, and yet doing so ultimately harms our health
and hollows our relationships.
*We are told to “be brave” and “face fear head on”, and yet doing so ends up becoming
an addiction in its own right (to adrenaline or to drama, a.k.a. “excitement”) – one that
ironically shortens the very life we are trying to enhance.
No, my Friends, before we can be truly Success-full, we must remember what Success
truly is … For any sentient being, true Success comes only to those who choose to be
humane.
Before we can truly in-Joy our lives, we must finally understand the source from whence
true Pleasure originates … For every conscient being, true Pleasure comes only to those
who bring others Joy.
Before we can truly confront – and thereby at least temporarily dismiss – our fears, we
must be willing to recognize what our deepest fears truly are … And for every conscious
being, those fears are forgiveness, openness, intimacy and Love.
We are born into fear – fear is all our most primitive brain stem understands, and fear is
all that our most primitive ego-self praises. And it is this program of “survival first” that
proves to be the premature death of us all … It is this “first fear” that starts a chain
reaction in our thoughts; a chain reaction that seeps into our everyday deeds, destroying
our lives long before we physically perish.
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