We are taught from an early age that if we want to make it in life, we have to work hard. That life involves pain and struggle, that we have to earn love and acceptance; and that, if we want to come out on top, we have to fight our way there.
This is a false teaching of the world, in my view. Life doesn’t have to be a struggle. There’s a difference between struggle and effort. Struggle is effort laced with negative emotion or desperation. It’s a battle that we fight only with ourself.
Struggle is a frame of mind. And so is liberation. With the right frame of mind we can become liberated. We can experience inner peace. The world will continue to run around like a headless chicken. But that doesn’t matter. We can trust that everything is how it should be; we can relax, surrender; and accept ‘what is so’.
This is a Buddhist teaching. It is a Christian teaching (Mt 6.34; Psalm 131; Romans 8.31-39). It is a secular teaching, ("freedom", "free-thinking" etc). Whatever our point of view, wherever we are on the path, it is a teaching of the human heart. The strongest demand of the soul is for perfect freedom, and deep down we know that we are entitled to experience freedom and liberation. But are we looking for it in the right place?
Freedom and liberation is a frame of mind, in the sense that it is dictated by our own perceptions and attitudes. It is not dictated by worldly conditions. It is ours for the taking. We can get on with life, take things a step at a time, and do what we believe is best, but life doesn’t have to be a struggle. It can be a joy. It is a joy. We just need to wake up and smell the roses.
I believe that the ultimate nature of reality – at its deepest level - is Grace, Unconditional Love, and Joy. Naturally, such a reality will provide us all with a ‘way out’, in order for us to experience inner peace and joy - regardless of where we are on the path, and regardless of how imperfect or 'bad' we think we are.
For anyone who’s interested, there’s an enlightening book called ‘A Return to Love’ by Marianne Williamson. It describes a decent road toward truth and inner peace, which might suit some people. The author isn’t one of those romantic idealists, who promulgates ‘love and peace’ in a wishy washy idealistic way. On the contrary. She is a hardened realist, who ‘woke up’ after experiencing a nervous breakdown, caused by attempts to keep up with the world’s rat race. The book provides some glimpse into a larger Truth, in my view, and is one that I recommend for those who are seeking meaning and a bit more inner peace.