Serenity is not the product of our actions, but rather a by product of the way we see. To have serenity means to believe in a larger truth. It means believing that the life is about more than what is happening right now. It means believing that life is about more than me. It means believing that it has a direction and purpose and trusting and believing in that purpose. When I read about people who have coped with extreme misery and disaster in their lives with serenity the one thing they all have in common is the certainity of a greater truth and greater purpose.
One of the greatest lies told to people with mental health issues is that they are incapable of living lives of purpose, that the most they can hope for is a marginal life. The idea that they can base their life on a greater truth of some kind is viewed as foolishness. They are told too often, either directly or by implication, that they are so diminished that all they can ever do is focus their lives on self maintanence. The problem is not in being told to take care of yourself. The problem is being told that is "all" you are capable of doing.
People I know who have no sense of a greater truth in their life dont do well in the pursuit of serenity. Everything is a fight. And often it seems like it is the same fight each day. Sometimes they just give up. Suffering without a reason to carry one is deadly to all of us. Even in AA they recognize the importance of service and the central truth that by living for something other than yourself you actually get the most out of life. Caring for something or someone else is good for you.
Our greater truths give our lives story and we are not left asking "what is going on here?' All truths, by the way, do not seem to be equal. Some of them are not too great. For example, I know people whose great truth is making money or having fun. When life is about "getting" it is really just about you.
Courage is the decision to persist even when it is hard. It implies that you will continue to do good things even when you dont feel like it or even when you dont really want to. Courage is not based on how you feel. It is not the opposite of being scared. Many of the people who are among the most courageous I know are frequently scared and even terrified. Courage is based on who you want to be and how you want to live. If serenity is based on a greater truth courage is based on the commitment to that greater truth.
Wisdom is about discernment. It is great to know where you want to go and to be committed to getting there, but neither do much good unless you can see how the trip is going.
For me there are two benchmarks that tell me how I am doing: how easily I get discouraged with life and how easily I get irritated with other people. One tells me where I am with faith and hope. The other tells me where I am with love. When the 3 small words are alive in my life I find normally I am in a good place. Faith in something more than yourself, commitment to that greater truth and living with your eyes open lead to a life more worth living.
One of the greatest lies told to people with mental health issues is that they are incapable of living lives of purpose, that the most they can hope for is a marginal life. The idea that they can base their life on a greater truth of some kind is viewed as foolishness. They are told too often, either directly or by implication, that they are so diminished that all they can ever do is focus their lives on self maintanence. The problem is not in being told to take care of yourself. The problem is being told that is "all" you are capable of doing.
People I know who have no sense of a greater truth in their life dont do well in the pursuit of serenity. Everything is a fight. And often it seems like it is the same fight each day. Sometimes they just give up. Suffering without a reason to carry one is deadly to all of us. Even in AA they recognize the importance of service and the central truth that by living for something other than yourself you actually get the most out of life. Caring for something or someone else is good for you.
Our greater truths give our lives story and we are not left asking "what is going on here?' All truths, by the way, do not seem to be equal. Some of them are not too great. For example, I know people whose great truth is making money or having fun. When life is about "getting" it is really just about you.
Courage is the decision to persist even when it is hard. It implies that you will continue to do good things even when you dont feel like it or even when you dont really want to. Courage is not based on how you feel. It is not the opposite of being scared. Many of the people who are among the most courageous I know are frequently scared and even terrified. Courage is based on who you want to be and how you want to live. If serenity is based on a greater truth courage is based on the commitment to that greater truth.
Wisdom is about discernment. It is great to know where you want to go and to be committed to getting there, but neither do much good unless you can see how the trip is going.
For me there are two benchmarks that tell me how I am doing: how easily I get discouraged with life and how easily I get irritated with other people. One tells me where I am with faith and hope. The other tells me where I am with love. When the 3 small words are alive in my life I find normally I am in a good place. Faith in something more than yourself, commitment to that greater truth and living with your eyes open lead to a life more worth living.
