Licking the Razor's Edge (2015)

Comfort -- A Way OUT
“It is not the end that matters in the Journey,
but the Journey that matters in the end.” ~ Ursala K. LeGuin
“Just because you’re not sick
doesn’t mean you’re Healthy” ~ unknown
There is no stronger instinct in the human body than the desire to survive at all costs. At
our most primitive level, we desire more than anything else to live a long time – actually,
to live forever.
And so we strive to do so – investing enormous
amounts of resources to ensure we have enough
resources, and enormous amounts of time to
somehow give us more time. We go to the gym,
we eat right, we make sure to rest when we are
tired, we go to church or meditate or “have fun”
when we are stressed out, we build a circle of
friends (&/or buy health insurance) to care for us
today, and we search for a partner (&/or open an
IRA account) who can take care of us when we
are older.
All fine and good, I guess … It is good to respect
your body by eating high quality foods and
resting regularly and remaining fit. It is good to
respect your mind by either calming or
entertaining yourself when mentally frazzled.
And it is good to have fellowship with friends
&/or the Love of a partner.
And yet, if we are doing these things for ourselves, we lose most of the benefit that they
could be bringing us. If we do them from a sense of fear – to somehow prolong our lives
because we are afraid to die, or to make our lives more pleasurable because we are afraid
of pain, then these very practices that make our lives longer will also make them
essentially meaningless.
So what is the solution? How can we move away from a self-centered addiction to
longevity and towards a vibrant living of our lives?
Each of you will have to approach this challenge in a unique manner suited to your
unique lives, of course, and yet there are a few general tips that might help you get
started:
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