Learning
How to Live
“As
long as you live, keep learning how to live.”
Seneca
My
friend, Harry, often says that he lived for fifty years with a closed
heart. Now, in his later years, he's learning how to keep it open.
Many of us think of ourselves as open-hearted, but it's not easy to
know whether we are or not until something happens to challenge our
perception. Most of us have an open heart with the members of our own
family—with exceptions, of course. And most of us have trusted
friends with whom we open our hearts. But when someone outside our
circle intrudes or makes a blunder, our hearts quickly close. It seems to be
human nature. Only a few living beings are able to keep love alive for everyone under heaven. The Dalai Lama comes to mind as
someone in our time who lives with compassion for all. And, possibly,
the current Pope.
For
most of us, however, every day pushes us beyond the limits of our
tolerance. We go from open-hearted to crazy-mad fairly quickly when
stressed or frustrated. I'm speaking for myself, of course. You may
be a placid lake of compassion and kindness. I have to work at it.
But that's okay. That's what our lifetime is designed for—to move
us, by fits and starts, toward an ever more open heart. My friend,
Harry, had a heart attack that challenged his perception. Triple
by-passes later, his heart is more open than it's ever been. I hope
it doesn't take that to open mine.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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