Alteration/Thankfulness

[Mark Dohle]

Alteration/Thankfulness

I would say a lot of the emotion in what I do is a sort of a thankfulness for those energies being around, because there's been points in my life when they weren't around, and it's a real sort of miserable existence.--John Frusciante​

If every day was joyful, or each week like spring, would we know the delight of rejoicing in the weather and would we even know that we have joy? This is a strange realm that we live in. We are not pampered nor are we coddle by the Infinite. We are pushed, forced, dragged into situations that we would never choose on our own. We are not protected either by our collective participation in the evil in this world.

Is it possible to be thankful for living in such a sphere? Well if everything was the same, peaceful and smooth, I think to even question would not be possible. When faced with unpleasantness or evil or pain, we can react (which is really a very easy choice), or else we can dig deeper and respond in such a way that we grow in our ability to experience life in all of its varied colors, both bright and dark.

It does kind of suck, but would it be better if it were otherwise? Perhaps we should be thankful that we live in a world where we can grow in self-awareness and love of self and others through our sufferings and tragedies. Most of all, if we have faith, which can give meaning to our lives, is the most important gift to be thankful for. –Br.MD