If I do The Work, and become completely and totally fine with everything, no longer at war with reality….
….what would keep me from lying down on the couch, doing nothing, never planning, not trying, not getting organized, getting little done, never succeeding greatly, or caring about any upcoming activities?
If I love what is, then why bother making a to-do list, or having a goal, or creating plans for a desired outcome?
This is a very interesting question many people have about “loving what is” and what they imagine it might look like.
Could “loving what is” result in Nothing Happening? (Horrors!)
Wouldn’t that be….like….boring, or depressing, or apathetic?
Wouldn’t someone be a new-agey space case if they zoned into loving what is, all the time?
Good question.
And, no.
Notice how the mind will come at “loving what is” from every angle, just to make you doubt the process of inquiry?
I love doing The Work on this very concept….
….that doing The Work would lead to some kind of zombie brainwash, where you never cared or got upset, or made plans.
Who would you be without the belief that allowing everything to be as it is, or even loving what is, will be dangerously lacking in pro-activity or direction, or too passive or nicey-nice?
Who would you be if you really relaxed?
Woah.
I notice the less anxious, the less movement towards thinking about the future, the less focus on whatever terrible thing might happen later, or what terrible thing already happened…
…the more I’m in the sweet spot.
The middle.
Not full steam ahead, not lying on the ground.
Kind of an action, without great effort, without trying to hold back falsely.
“When you move in the Tao, you are always present. Life becomes absolutely simple. In the Tao, it’s easy to see what’s happening in life–it’s unfolding right in front of you. But if you have all kinds of reactions going on inside because you’re involved in the extremes, life seems confusing. That’s because you’re confused, not because life’s confusing….Eventually you will see that in the way of the Tao you’re not going to wake up, see what to do, and then go do it. In the Tao, you are blind, and you have to learn how to be blind.” ~ Michael Singer
All I know is, the more I do The Work, the more I question what my mind thinks is true and has stories about…
…the less frantic, worried or stressful energy, the fewer detailed plans.
But as Byron Katie says, I still pack my bags if I’m going on a trip, and leave at the appropriate time to get to the airport.
It’s just way more fun doing it.
And if the plane is late, that’s fun too.
Love, Grace