Embracing Paradox, Humor, and Change
Was out with a good friend a couple nights ago and our conversation turned from work to the universe (yeah, lately that’s how I roll). One thing that really stood out from our conversation for me was when he started discussing the three eternal truths of the universe as described in Daniel Millman’s Peaceful Warrior series.
As human beings we are inclined, almost arrogantly, to think that we can “control” everything. When in truth, our control is very limited, and the bliss comes from the realization that we have to “let go.” Letting go means embracing what is out of our control and finding the peace and happiness within that knowledge.
Millman’s Three Truths are:
- Paradox
- Humor
- Change
Did a little research on the three and found some interesting notes on each…
PARADOX
The physical world we live in is experienced by us in terms of dualities. Strangely enough fulfillment and true bliss comes from a sense of oneness but we always see and experience life in terms of opposites. A key to finding oneness is understanding and accepting this paradox. Good and Evil exist in this world simultaneously. Without war, there could be no peace. Without sadness, no joy. Without challenge, no triumph. And so it goes. Think how out of balance our world would be if there were only sunlight and no darkness. Consider what our lives would be like if abundance of all kinds flowed freely to all, if everyone were handed everything on the proverbial silver platter. What would motivate us to work, to invent, to create, to do anything?
When you see or experience great adversity in your life — see it for what it is — a test. The Buddhists believe that all of this life is suffering. Embrace it, discover and learn the lesson the universe is teaching, and rise above.
HUMOR
This is refers to “Divine Humor.” Trying not to take life or death, self or world, quite so seriously.
Engaging in a sense of humor about oneself and others and about the state of the world means rising above one’s ego and viewing things from a more detached place. It means pulling way back and getting real perspective on things, and understanding what is really important and what is not so important. It’s about asking oneself, “Where does this situation fit in the grand scheme of things?”
Imagine how much stress, anxiety, and angst could be dissipated when living life from this perspective.
CHANGE
Change is ever-present and inescapable — which is why it’s essential to live in the moment as much as possible. Every moment in time lasts for only a split second. Weather changes. Seasons change. Relationships change. Countries, borders, governments, leaders, laws, cultures, habitats, products, habits, customs, thoughts, bodies – everything you can think of changes. Some changes happen in the blink of an eye. Others take millenia. But everything changes.
Yet notice how often we make ourselves miserable because we resist change. What changes have you been resisting lately? And how would your experience of these changes be transformed by letting go of your resistance to them? What would it be like to accept change as a given and go with the flow.
This requires knowing oneself and being intuitive enough to know when the universe is pulling you away from something or pushing you towards it.
Much like a lot of the posts on this blog, just writing this brings me a sense of peace and oneness. They’re lessons I’m still striving and struggling to learn in my day-to-day / moment-to-moment life, but helpful ones for sure. Hopefully it’s been helpful for you too.
FADE IN: 
Thank you for this post. I totally agree. This is my first time here, and I’ll make sure to visit it again soon =)
[…] to know when the universe is pulling you away from something or pushing you towards it’ [dan fabrizio] are easy). but not humor, though we are cautioned to ‘keep a sense of humor, especially […]