Life Content

"We are using the excitement of life, the stress of life, the adverse condition as a way of creating a fruitful and rich life experience.

We are exchanging the fixation on the content to a more subtle fixation on the energy, the aliveness, the sacredness in each moment, regardless of the content."

- Ram Dev

This is a mouthful of a quote and the meaning is even more difficult to discover. The concept of "life is what you make it" is common to many philosophies. All life receives the same amount of energy each day, it's simply coming at us in various forms, some forms we consider pleasant and some we do not. The point is that if we remove the concern about the content, we are truly free to be who we want.

Unfortunately this concept has been perverted by wanna-be-dictators to pacify the masses and stay in power by keeping the status quo. "If you're poor, just stop doing that" is an example of this perversion. If we examine the true concept behind this quote, however, we will discover that following this philosophy actually destroys the status quo and breaks down power imbalances.

Let's look at a very everyday type of example and keep it simple. (Too late, right?)

Example A: You head into work and discover that, once again, a particular coworker has commandeered your coffee mug and is using it. You are in a 'good mood'. Perhaps it's Christmas and you are taken with the spirit of giving, or maybe you had an excellent breakfast -- it doesn't matter why you're in a good mood. You decide to laugh it off and not make a big deal about it. Your coworker, grateful for the lack of tension, shares with you that the reason they keep using your mug is that they find the unusual shape of the handle a tactile comfort. Maybe you decide to solve the problem by ordering them the same mug for a (Christmas) present. You establish a better relationship with your coworker.

Example B: You head into work and discover that, once again, a particular coworker has commandeered your coffee mug and is using it. You are in a 'bad mood'. Maybe it isn't Christmas, or maybe it is and you've already heard "All I Want For Christmas" 500 times and it's still early December -- it doesn't matter why you're in a bad mood. You snap and start yelling about how it's your coffee mug and people should bring in their own damn cups. Your coworker, definitely not going to share anything vulnerable now, starts yelling back. You both spend most of the day fuming about the incident.

Which example would you prefer to live? Notice that the content of the day in both started exactly the same way, but in our story we CHOSE to handle the energy of the day differently. Of course this is easier said than done. Of course we won't always succeed in transmuting the energies -- probably especially when its the red energy of passion and anger.

But we CAN start to make better choices, just small ones at first. These choices will break down the petty power struggles in your personal life...then begin to effect society at large. Then you can bring down the patriarchy, or get rid of parking fees, or whatever better purpose you'd like to use that energy for. Start practicing (it's all practice).