“We deserve all the good things that happen to us. Don’t feel guilty. Accept the blessings”
— Paulo Coelho
When I first read the above quote, I was struck by how many different levels there can be in a simple eloquent statement. On the one hand I asked myself, is he saying that we deserve and are deserving of whatever comes to us either good or bad? Does that mean that people who suffer deserve their suffering? It occurred to me that that is a stretch for Mr. Coelho does not talk about the bad things but the good.
I have know several people who were so convinced that all they deserved was hardship and pain that when their lives actually improved, they sabotaged them because they did not feel they deserved it. In many cases, the people who did this were kids which made it even rougher to experience along with them. If only they could see that the full experience of life was available to them, the joy and delight as well as the sorrow. Indeed this full gamut seems to come part and parcel with the spirit and the DNA. If only we could accept it.
Likewise, if we only see the good, then our experience is also limited. Many times it is through adversity that we receive our greatest gifts. We become able to see just how strong we are and we develop compassion for others in whatever difficulties that they are experiencing. Indeed, often the parts of our lives that seem the most difficult are the ones we look back and treasure.
I hope to maintain equilibrium and continue to know both joy and pain, compassion and appreciation.
Blessings, G
Volcanic Evening by G A Rosenberg 