went. -Omar Khayyam
Into this Universe and Why not knowing
Nor Whence, like Water willy-nilly flowing;
And out of it, as Wind along the waste,
I know not Whither, will-nilly blowing.
Myself when young did eagerly frequent
Doctor and Saint, and heard great argument
About it and about: but evermore
Came out by the same door where in I went. -Omar Khayyam
On my daily commute, I whiz past a sign that advertises a “Life Coach.” My social media accounts also blast ads for such professionals seeking clients as well as offering classes to become a “Life Coach.” I get it. Counseling is common pursuit; the market for such services has grown larger than ever since we retired the stigma our parents’ generation attached to the act of reaching out for support.
There’s no disputing that there’s wisdom in counsel, but lately I’ve been considering the question of whether we do enough internal work to try to solve our own problems? I’m not implying we’re lazy; rather, I see evidence that we just don’t know the extent to which we’re capable. It’s like we don’t even consider our own intellectual power.
Buddah, in a sermon known as the Kalama Sutta or the Buddha’s “charter of free inquiry," said:
“Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another’s seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, “The monk is our teacher.” But when you yourselves know: “These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness,” enter on and abide in them.”
He isn’t saying never to seek such sources, but to filter them through one’s own critical thinking. “But when you yourselves know…” What a powerful line! It implies we have the ability to spot what is BS and what isn’t, that we can and should trust ourselves ultimately to think through and act on something.
Other ancient writings include stories which promote our abilities to draw on self-discovered knowledge as well. The parable of the three servants comes to mind.
I’m reminded of the movie, Lorenzo’s Oil, the 1992 film based on the true story of Augusto and Michaela Odone, parents who tirelessly search for and invent a cure for their son's adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). What if they had listened to the counsel of their doctors, as Buddah warns against? They would have accepted their son’s awful degenerative disease as fate and never have changed the world with their discovery!
A book I read recently opened my insight like none other on this topic of understanding my own potential to surmount almost anything. “Outwitting the Devil,” was written by Napoleon Hill who, despite the title, did “...not believe in so-called miracles…” or a personal God. His book takes the reader on a non-religious journey through the arduous trials and errors he encounters on the road to “success” in life.
Interestingly, the success isn’t material, though money is often a byproduct. The fortune to which he speaks, “...is measurable… in terms of peace of mind, contentment and happiness…”
Fulfillment comes through purpose, he insists and the courage to reach one’s potential, by tapping into Infinite Intelligence. If only we will learn how to use our “sixth sense,” he advises, we can tap into it.
Like the message of the poem above, many of us go through life unclear of purpose and answers, frustrated by “unfair” conundrums that stand between us and contentment.
This is where my question surfaces. How intensely do we seek answers for ourselves? How much do want the gold of wisdom? How open are we to accept the possibility that there is a sixth sense outside of the five we know and use and we can learn how to tap into it to change this Newtonian world which often leaves us feeling powerless.
The price of what we yearn for is persistence, or as Hill puts it, “courage and tenacity.”
His text reinforces what I’ve seen come to pass in my own life, that when we pursue what it is we want without remission, that force in the universe meets us.
Too often we just walk back out that “same door” the poem talks about. We surrender to the belief that our goals or needs won’t be met, or our desires are whims never to come true.
I challenge you to ask yourself: what is it you really want?
If you know the answer, put it out there and wrestle it into existence. If you don’t, seek someone to talk to and work out what is standing in the way of you knowing yourself completely. A much fuller life is waiting...
“The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.”
- Eden Philpots
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