Running

We spend so much time running away from suffering. And even when we are not running away from it we are trying to block it, to keep it away, to push it out. It seems we are compelled by a primal fear, an unreflected, uncomplicated fear of suffering that we are willing to do ANYTHING TO AVOID SUFFERING...WHY? What is it that we gain from avoiding suffering? Shouldn't we shift our focus from running away to running toward something? If we only avoid suffering, we get caught in a loop of reaction and response. The universe controls the flow and we bob and weave to stay clear. No wonder WE ARE TIRED. I am tired just thinking about the energy I spend avoiding.

If we STAND UP TO SUFFERING, if we face it head on, we might find that suffering's bark is worse than it's bite, that it is not as bad as we think OR we might find that we are stronger, or that we become stronger than what we thought was possible. THIS is our challenge, not to out run suffering but to run toward something and stare down suffering when ever it crosses our path.