The Burden of Good Fortune - Daily Meditation #3
When we gain something worth keeping, we also inherit the burden of having something to lose. Don't get me wrong; good fortune is a wonderful thing. We all want more money, better jobs, nicer possessions, new relationships, and great friendships. But with these gains, come the potential for loss. Worrying about this loss can be crippling for some people.
When we worry about losing what we've gained, we rob ourselves of the afterglow of what we've won. Almost instantaneously, we shift from seeking progress to protecting the ground we've gained. Suddenly, we realize the thing we thought was entirely good, also comes with its own burdens.
This stems from the false dichotomy, an imaginary partition, that we erect between all the "good" and "bad" things in our lives. Like an expertly cut diamond, all the aspects of our lives have many facets. These facets reflect elements of good and bad within themselves. For example, you can double your income, but now you lose sleep over your failing investments, even though you are more wealthy than you were before. Perhaps, you meet a special someone and you hit it off, but now you also worry that it may fizzle out too soon. With good fortune comes the burden of the potential for loss.
Admittedly, the majority of humans in the world could stand to enjoy more good fortune. I am not blind to those that are hungry and cannot enjoy a sense of safety. If these people were to make substantial gains in their quality of life, I think that they would have little trouble appreciating how good these changes are for them.
But for those of us that are privileged enough to have our basic needs met, we must be willing to acknowledge that we could lose some of what we have. When we cling too tightly to the things that make our lives good, we throttle out all of the enjoyment that is associated with having these things.
In the words of many great philosophers (i.e., rappers), "Scared money don't make no money." Roughly translated, this means that she who is too afraid to lose what she has, will fail to enjoy good fortune. Loosen your grip on what you have, and you'll release of the burden of having something to lose. After you let go, you can begin to enjoy your good fortune in all its splendor.
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Nicely written. Thank you. needed to read this now :)
Hey, @Camelx! I appreciate you giving this article a read, and I'm pleased that it was something you needed to hear today. Also, thank you kindly for the resteem. I am always appreciative of those.
I hope you have a great day!
The only thing you should worry about losing is your health and your loved ones. If you have a roof over your head, and something to eat every day, everything else is expandable and not important. At least I try to live this way.
But, I do understand what you are saying and earning or gaining something with your hard work is sometimes not easy to part with. But again you can always focus on what you have and not on which you don't or might lose. It is all about perspective. :)
Great post, my friend. Interesting topic. :)
Hello @Awakentolife!
I actually agree with you about there only being a few things to worry about losing. I keep these posts very short, so that I can expand on these ideas with fine people (like you!) in the comments. I do not think that someone who worries about losing loved ones and their health as "doing it wrong". Those are tremendously valuable things. Perhaps, the most valuable things in life.
A lot of what I discussed above was about losing trivial things. Nice things, like a job you like - yet trivial in the grand scheme of things. But people sometimes don't even realize how tightly they are clinging to these aspects of their life. Often, so much so that they can't even enjoy it.
I think we are expressing similar ideas in different words.
Thanks for the great comment.
Well, we are on the same page, my friend. I know how you feel about not being able to squeeze everything in into one post. I am having the same problem with my posts. My critical mind does not let me write short posts. I always say well if I write this I have to explain this and it just goes downhill from there. :) lol
It is not easy to let go of the things you've worked hard for. I was having a hard time doing so as well. But, once I turned my attention and focus on what I have and take for granted such as health all the rest felt meaningless and something I can live without. It is all about the way you look at things. :)
Just like you said. We are expressing the same idea in our own little different way. :)
I really needed to read this, its something I struggle with a lot! As soon as I have something good I am so scared of losing it but next time this happens I'll remind myself of this! Thank you! :)
waves hello to her eldest girl
Hey baby, this is Chris. Chris, this is the daughter I've been talking about over in the SB chat. 😊
What a good mom you are, getting your daughter involved in the future of social media and content creation. :P You must be one hip momma!
Yep, just ask @cailliyork...
Hey, @Cailliyork! Thanks for dropping by my blog!
I am always chatting with your mom and laughing at the GIFs she leaves in the comments for me. I'm glad you're getting into Steemit! It's definitely the future of social media.
Gave you a follow forward to you posting some things of your own!
Some very thought provoking points you've articulated here! This post is very well written and I'd love to read more of your work in the future. I'm in love with your writing style. Followed and resteemed.
@Chunger, thanks for this comment. I wanted to get back to you immediately yesterday when I saw this, but I was at work.
When people really enjoy my writing and let me know, it makes me feel so good. I was actually thinking of this comment when I wrote my newest post today. To know that there are a few people out there (like you) that like my work and are hungry for more makes this process of writing really enjoyable.
Thanks so much for following and thank you for the resteem. I hope you'll enjoy these Daily Meditations as they continue to come out.
Have a wonderful day, and thank you for brightening mine!
"In the words of many great philosophers (i.e., rappers)"
So, I'm reading your post and nodding in agreement as I go, all while sipping my coffee. Lucky for me, I'd just put my cup down when I got to that line - thanks for the awesome giggle this morning! 😊
Lol that's awesome that you liked that line! I was really like... "Is this going to kill the mood I've created here?" And then I thought ehhh fuck it. We'll just gunslinger that line in there ;)
Excellent choice!
Excellent posting. Resteemed and upvoted.
... A perfectly Taoist point of view.
Ha! Funny you say that, because I didn't think of Tao philosophy as I wrote this. It's understandable that people would stumble upon similar ideas from different areas of the world.
Thank you so much for resteeming. That's very generous of you!
Well said. I totally agree. I try to live very minimalist because of this. Also why I live on my own and don't really have a lot of deep relationships. The more I have the more I have to lose. So I just focus on what I NEED and then I try to keep life as simple as I can beyond that.
Hi @derekrichardson! Thank you for stopping by my blog. Good to see you as always.
Yes, the delineation between needs and wants is so vital to a good life. I can understand your decisions. I am a minimalist as well. Glad to know that there are people like me out there!
This indeed is a true fact. I could remember this situation happening to me when we just won a competition.
I was supposed to be happy, but I allowed the negative emotions of how to defend the championship cloud me.
Thanks for this great information, I'll stop worrying about it and keep striving hard to replicate such.
Competition is a great example of this. We win one battle to march straight into the next. We have to enjoy where we are at, no matter what challenges lay ahead and could set us back.
Another wise word from you, @chrismccron, I like reading your posts as I find them soothing and reflective. My thought on this topic is that also gratitude and good faith could help not worry about losing gains, and sort of letting go. Thank you for this post. Love, Klaudia
Hey, @shinyforest! Good to see you here.
I'm very flattered that you like my work. I think that your art is so impressive, and I am often jealous of your ability to draw! I think you are very talented, so it makes me smile when you have kind things to say about my work.
Beautifully phrased here! Superrrrrbbbb. :)
Aw thank you! I make myself a little nauseated with my tendency to wax poetic, but I am glad it appears to be something that others sometime like!