There’s no doubt about it, I am a hard worker and I am happiest when I’m immersed in my writing. But this does not mean I lead a life of solitude.
Like most of us, I’m mixed up in the chaos as well as the serenity of life. When there are blockages to my work, such as electricity shut-offs, computer problems, or family and household needs to attend to—watch out, I am apt to get wild.
For instance, today I discovered that I’ve lost an entire manuscript that I have been working on for five years. It evaporated from my computer documents and is not in the recycle bin.
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Master Teacher of how to stay calm says “I have noticed that certain ants have to work together for their survival. They have a very good sense of responsibility. They have no religion, no compassion, and no education, but somehow they have a very good sense of responsibility. We human beings are basically social animals. We have to live together. Without others, we cannot survive. Yet we always fight. We find it very difficult to develop that kind of sense of responsibility.”
The biggest fight I’m having right now is with myself, no little critters from the army of workers to blame. How could I have done such a stupid thing?
I worked for about an hour on trying to retrieve the document then realised I had to just accept the loss. Since it was a memoir I felt a part of me had died.
The Dalai Lama teaches “We really don’t have a one hundred percent guarantee, do we, that when we die, we’re going to find the peace and happiness that we long for. As long as we are alive as human beings, there is something that we can do about it. So, I think that is the major thing to do, to live as a human being. It is a great mistake simply to regard this whole life, this whole existence as fruitless and pointless and to think about suicide.”
Little stirrings in my heart came and went. I decided to call the computer technician. He might know some resurrection magic.
Meantime, this is a good lesson. How many people right this minute are caught in life and death situations and would be thrilled to change places with me? Millions. If the manuscript has gone with the wind, it’s gone! Something better is on the way, perhaps.
The positive attitude of our Beloved Monk keeps me going, “You see, we have such a beautiful human brain and a beautiful human heart. By combining these two things, I think we can solve every problem. I believe we need only a little more patience and determination. So don’t worry. There is no point in engaging in foolish anxiety.”
In living fully, that is without fear, staying immersed in the peace and consciousness of the Buddha, we face whatever comes.
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