hopelesslyxhope

[hopelesslyxhope]

@ still.life

[hopelesslyxhope]

I am SO happy someone put it into words because I simply cannot.

The thing that most people don't get is that actual spirituality is like existential psychology. It is not about pretty things or zen vibes or philosophical ideas. It is directly relevant to how we are in our moment-to-moment and day-to-day life.

Spirituality is for solving the problems of being alive without using the same kind of thinking that created such problems.

So what does that mean? Let's use a concrete example.

You have a shitty feeling about yourself and it is accompanied by the thought, "I feel worthless" or "I don't have value."

The way most people try to fix this feeling is by trying to adhere to the logic of the accompanying thought. In this case it is by trying to counteract feelings of worthlessness by seeking a sense of accomplishment, validation, and self-value.

So that same person then gets a high powered job or project as a way to impart a sense of value onto themselves. And it feels good! For a bit. And then eventually it starts to feel normal, which is also fine.

But then one day this job comes into question. Perhaps their company is going bankrupt, there is some work drama, or even they have lived their entire adult life and it's time to retire. Anything that threatens to change this basis of externalized self-value will become an existential threat to their sense of self and happiness. It's why so many people struggle with life after retirement.

When you seek to solve such problems with the same kind of thinking--the same kind of premise--that created the problem, you will only ever wind up with a temporary solution. That solution may last a day, a year, or a lifetime but it never really liberates you.

Spirituality, on the other hand, doesn't say that you can't pursue fancy jobs or cool projects. But it does invite us to question the premise we are holding and the assumptions we make.

So when we have the feeling and thought of being worthless or lacking value, we should inquire into that. What does it mean to have worth or value? Does a flower need that? Or a doggo?

Sure, you might say "Well those are plants and animals, not humans." But that doesn't mean we can't learn from other living beings. If we are suffering in the absence of physical pain, it's because there is something not appropriately aligned in our understanding, in our awareness.

For a flower or a doggo, this question of value and worth may not arise. And so it is not a problem. But since it is arising for you, it requires addressing.

There are a number of spiritual approaches that could be taken to liberate a person from this particular struggle. A quote from the Avadhuta Gita comes to mind: "I fill the air, nothing fills me."

When we seek a sense of value or worth, we are trying to fill ourselves and define ourselves using external things. But if we actually look within and stop grasping at external things, something shines from within. As awareness shines, it can be described as a sense of fullness or wholeness. The hole inside ourselves is not a hole at all, but a kind of window or portal.

Of course the easier, less nuanced and complex approach is just to find something external and try to make yourself happy. But the supremely liberating approach, the approach that will provide access to forms of happiness not limited by external circumstances, is that of the spiritual.

LY

[hopelesslyxhope]

We have a tendency to think in terms of doing and not in terms of being. We think that when we are not doing anything, we are wasting our time. But that is not true. Our time is first of all for us to be. To be what? To be alive, to be peaceful, to be joyful, to be loving. And that is what the world needs most.

Thich Nhat Hanh  (via abiding-in-peace)

[hopelesslyxhope]

Artist : @lenadirscherl

THANK YOU FOR THAT

[hopelesslyxhope]

alright im just gonna say it... I hate Robert Pattinson 

[hopelesslyxhope]

Hope is seeing the light when others only see the darkness of the night.

Unknown (via perfeqt)

[hopelesslyxhope]

We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.

Seneca (via thehopefulquotes)

[hopelesslyxhope]

Ursula K. Le Guin, from The Left Hand of Darkness

[hopelesslyxhope]

Tumblr isn't social media, it's a habit. Like smoking. We're all gathering by the dumpster in the cold, reblogging posts.

[hopelesslyxhope]

take my new uquiz : what is your monstrous trait ?

link in the reblogs

[hopelesslyxhope]

From an abusive relationship, to a gentle one. From screaming and fighting, to loving and laughing. From being isolated and alone, to travelling the world and having shared friends. From games and hurt, to gifts and open arms. From the blame game to responsibility and maturity. From being scared and worried all the time, to being completely in love

From a poor excuse of a human being, to a fiancé. (ms - 2021)

[hopelesslyxhope]

Don’t forget, all quotes do is open your eyes a little wider to what is already inside you.

thewinksofgod (via thehopefulquotes)

[hopelesslyxhope]

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.

Buddha (via quotemadness)

[hopelesslyxhope]

Listen, smile, agree, and then do whatever the fuck you were gonna do anyway.

Robert Downey Jr. (via quotemadness)

[hopelesslyxhope]

Some people have a million hearts while others have none.

Unknown (via perfectquote)

[hopelesslyxhope]

I’m always soft for you, that’s the problem. You could come knocking on my door five years from now and I would open my arms wider and say ‘come here, it’s been too long, it felt like home with you.

Azra T. (via quotemadness)

[hopelesslyxhope]

At the end of the day if the worst thing someone can say about you is that you love too much, then you are doing nothing wrong.

Unknown (via quotemadness)