Path

The core purpose of practice, as I implement it in my life, is to maintain my life's direction, my path. This is different from maintaining control of my emotions or my environment. In fact, letting go of controlling of my emotions has enabled me to be better at seeing my life truthfully and dealing with that truth. I maintain my own healthy body and home environment as best I can, but I have had to learn to accept disease, disability and recovery in my life as well.

Maintaining my life's direction entails looking beyond the next mountain that appears on the horizon. Climbing the mountains, rather than avoiding them, affords the best view beyond. Practice is the emotional, psychological and physical exercise that allows me the energy to climb the mountains in my path so I can see beyond them.

The path taken across life's ever-steepening mountain range of challenges leads to the same ultimate destination as the path across the flat plains of privilege or good luck: Death. However, the path through adversity to attain peace and justice is a journey to the limits of human potential and strength. I believe that walking this path in view of others furthers the cause of peace and universal human rights.

I will readily confess that I get tired. When I do, I rest. I have no illusions that this path stretches to a heavenly horizon or that it leads to some rewarding oasis. I know the climb will become steadily steeper until it ends. But, in a time when self-promotion and self-gratification are considered to height of human success, I feel walking my chosen path in the light of day is what I can do to promote compassion and social responsibility.