Mathematics Magic - Withstanding Life's Toughest Storms

Not my sharpest image, but it was cold. I wanted to use this illustrate the interconnectedness of our world.  Although the steroids I am on don't let me sleep much, I get to see these beautiful sunrsies each morning. With each bad is good

In today's post I am going to make mathematical magic happen,
I am going to show you how 1+1 = 5.  But that will come later, so read on.

You may be wondering why I have spent so much time examining life's challenges and the suffering and beauty that come with them over the past week.  Some might answer because I am currently going through one of life's challenges and this is a blog about it.  Well it is true that my battle with leukemia is one of the many challenges I will encounter in my life, but it isn't the reason for my reflections on it over the past week.

The Dalai Lama said, “It’s extremely important to investigate the causes or origins of suffering, how it arises.  One must begin that process by appreciating the impermanent, transient nature of our existence.  All things, events, and phenomena are dynamic, changing every moment; nothing remains static....So, at any given moment, no matter how pleasant or pleasurable your experience may be, it will not last.  This becomes the basis of a category of suffering know in Buddhism as the “suffering of change”.”

This quote has some very strong similarities to yesterday’s topic of the interconnectedness of our world.  These two philosophies are the main purpose for my reflections and focus on life’s challenges in the past week.  From these philosophies we know it is inevitable we are going to face many challenges that may cause some form of suffering in our lifetime.  Unfortunately, many people recoil at the even thought of life’s challenges that may cause suffering, let alone facing them.  This may provide temporary relief, but when life’s toughest challenges come our way we will be totally unprepared and become paralyzed with fear. 

This brings me to something Howard C. Cutler said in discussing suffering with the Dalai Lama; “The time and effort we spend searching for meaning in suffering will pay great rewards when bad things begin to strike.  But in order to reap those rewards, we must begin our search for meaning when things are going well.  A tree with strong roots can withstand the most violent storm, but the tree can’t grow roots just as the storm appears on the horizon.”

This is reason behind why I have focused so much on life’s challenges as of late.  Instead of recoiling at the thought of facing these challenges and the suffering that inevitably lays ahead, we can use this time to practice facing the tiny challenges life throws at us on a daily basis and finding meaning in them.  This way we can become that tree with a strong root system that can withstand the toughest storms life throws at us. 

The final piece to the puzzle comes again from the Dalai Lama; “Our attitude toward suffering becomes very important because it can affect how we cope with suffering when it arises.”  I believe our attitude needs to be one of positivity when we are faced with life’s toughest “storms”.  Having a positive attitude during the challenges we face, allows us to maintain the proper  mindset to overcome them, find the meaning of why we are facing them , learn and grow from them, and be prepared for the inevitable good that will come from them. 

There you have it! I told you I could make 1+1=5.  How you say?
    1 P for practicing at finding the meaning in the small challenges we face on a daily basis and strengthening our root system to withstand the violent storms that will come our way.
+  1 P for maintaining a Positive Attitude when these storms strike which requires the 4 P’s of Positivity
Equals

    5 P’s to withstand and overcome the toughest storms life can throw at us.

See 1+1=5, mathematics magic J

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