Arizona Workshop #43 on Gratitude.
[from Marsha — In this day and time, it seems we have been given so much that we have taken everything for granted. Seems businesses give us many choices touting “new and improved” trying to get us to buy. Who would ever have thought that a simple hamburger could get so complicated. So it seems that we feel we can have everything just like we want it; and if we can’t, we get very upset and feel mistreated, misunderstood or denied by others thereby creating conflict, struggle and resistance either within ourselves or with others. Here’s a simple beautiful story from the Arizona talk….]
“In this morning’s paper, there was an article about some people that lived in the city of Phoenix that are homeless. They’re living under an overpass, and they have no shelter except maybe they cover up with blankets and what-have-you. They can build a fire out under the place where they can stay reasonably warm. Some reporters asked, “Where do you get your wood.” The gentlemen said, “If you don’t ask any questions, you will be told no lies”. But they had one picture of a little two-year-old girl who looked very happy. She had a big grin on her face and everything. She was stirring a pot of beans, which was being cooked on an open fire. I guess she was anticipating having some beans after a while, but possibly the little child hasn’t been in a situation where she could set up ideals yet.
So it seemed to be quite all right. She’s camping out and having a good time and she’s feeling all right, even though it had been cold weather for Phoenix–hot for most places. She’s living outside and has no home of any kind; but her parents are with her and she gets to stir the bean pot, so that’s quite all right. Now maybe if she’s denied stirring the bean pot, she would be very unhappy, I don’t know. You see, whatever the person sets up as being the “ideal” can become an overpowering thing that makes you have a feeling of being sorry for yourself–feeling “deprived”, feeling “put upon”, “unhappy”, and whatever word you want to put on it.
Definition of ideal from the dictionary
2. existing only in the imagination; desirable or perfect but not likely to become a reality.
[from Marsha — So perhaps it is of benefit to look at the ideals we live by and see the illusion of it’s being achieved.]