“Awakened…”

Whew. It has been a long time coming, but I have returned to the blogging scene. I must apologize for such the extended absence, however, I am back and better than ever! I took some time off because as I was continuously providing advice, I felt as though it was time for me to take a step back, and re-evaluate certain aspects of my life, and the people in my life. I believe that what I learned during my hiatus, both on my blog and mentally, may very well serve as a stepping stone for one of my readers!

As the day-to-day objectives were beginning to overlap, and things began becoming hectic, I felt like I was no longer in control of my life. Anyone who knows me knows that I function more efficiently when I have a sense of control over my life. Side bar: I am not a control freak, only when it comes to my life am I one. Then it hit me; I was no longer in control of my life because I was putting forth more energy into things that did not necessarily need to be entertained. Thus, my hiatus began.

I did a lot of soul searching and evaluating of the person that I am, because, as it if often said, one cannot evaluate the people around him or her until he or she first evaluates the type of person he or she is. Yesterday I started researching Buddhism for a paper and presentation I have to present later this week. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is true human happiness, and there are specific outlines within the religion that aid one in obtaining such a state of being. After countless hours of research and note taking, I had an epiphany.

Within Buddhism there are Four Noble Truths. The third Noble Truth is that true happiness and contentment are possible. I had to take a break from my research for a moment because this “truth” gave me pause. Of course, there were explanations as to how true happiness and contentment are possible and the ways in which one should go about achieving the two. The “truth” states that one should not live in the past or attempt correcting the past, just as one should not live for the future. Planning ahead is one thing, but when one is so focused toward the future that he or she is unable to appreciate today, there is a problem. Buddhism asserts, via this third truth, that as long as one is concerned with the past and future, he or she will not be able to appreciate the “now.” Being so focused in the past, future, or both, causes stress and anxiety.

Through this truth, I was awakened (ironically, Siddharta Gotama “Buddha” was ‘englightened’ or awakened as well) to realize that we need to spend more time being thankful for what we do have, instead of being so worried about what we could have had or what we want. Wanting leads to disappointment and stress when that want is not fulfilled. Therefore, we will be saving ourselves an abundance of unnecessary stress if we simply learn to live and be happy with what we have been blessed with, rather than worrying about what we do not have, or what we used to have.

-M. Worthington III

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