We have bad news,
Or good news,
Depends on perspective,
Right?
What we hear in the next few minutes can be enlightening or terrifying.
Positive or negative depends on perspective.
But we will get to that a little later.
First,
The news.
We have a terminal illness.
We are dying.
Right now.
All of us.
Our time is limited.
And we are dying.
In the last 30 seconds,
Which we will never get back,
We just moved that much closer to death.
Or are we moving closer toward life?
Remember,
Perspective.
What of this thing being human?
What does it entail?
Feelings,
Emotions,
Personalities,
Other people,
Heartbreak,
Illnesses,
Triumphs,
Achievements,
Seasons,
Languages,
Love.
What are we to do with this thing called life and its many facets?
What is the manner by which we ought to live this thing called life?
When disaster strikes,
Or perhaps when life does what it does around and within us,
We can react two ways.
Acceptance,
Or denial.
Embrace,
Or rebel.
Which is more palatable,
Or easier to digest?
Are we to use the time we have here on earth fighting things we cannot control?
Or perhaps we can observe all things as opportunities for growth.
Teaching moments.
Things we were always meant to see and feel and hear and overcome and learn and share with others.
There is a quote attributed to John Lennon,
Everything will be okay in the end.
If everything is not okay,
It is not the end.
Is everything okay in our lives right now?
Can we be okay even if things are not what we wished for them to be?
Are we willing to believe that all things are impermanent and move us toward goodness,
Even the things that do not yet make sense?
Let's take a moment to breathe together.
First,
Find a comfortable seat.
Relax the shoulders.
Relax the tiny muscles around the eyes.
Now,
Let's take a deep inhale together.
And exhale,
Let it go.
Again,
Deep inhale.
And exhale,
Let it go.
One last time,
Deep inhale.
And exhale,
Let it go.
How did that feel?
What is the quality of the mind now?
More relaxed,
More accepting of the totality and interrelation of all things?
Is contentment available and possible in this present moment?
Here is the truth we have been moving toward,
The reason we are here today,
The present moment.
The past is gone.
The future is not yet here.
This is not what was or what will be,
But what is.
What is the quality of mind now?
What is the level of acceptance of things as they are now?
Where are you?
Mentally,
Emotionally,
Physically,
Spiritually?
Right now.
Doubt,
Shame,
Regret,
Remorse?
When we feel things like this,
We are not present.
We are not living life.
We are living in the past.
Life is lived in the present moment.
We live and die depending on our perspective in the here and now.
Fear,
Anxiety,
Stress,
Worry?
When we feel things like this,
We are not present.
We are not living life.
We are living in the future.
Life is lived in the present moment.
Healing,
Transformation,
Recovery,
Calm,
Balance,
Peace.
These are the things that are available in the present moment.
The present moment is the only time we are meant to live.
What is the quality of the mind now?
Right now.
Can we be present right now?
Can we believe that we are okay right now?
If not,
Can we believe all things will be okay soon,
Once we can make peace with the present moment?
This is a message of hope.
Let's not forget why we are here.
This is a hopeful message because things change.
All things change.
Even a bud must blossom and the flower must wither and return to the earth.
Even a girl must grow into a young woman and the woman must grow old and return to the earth.
Even the sun rises and it sets.
Even the moon rises and it sets.
Even the truth rises and it sets within each of our hearts through our thoughts,
Words and actions.
And all things happen as they happen,
Whether we agree or not.
When we are not in agreement or able to accept circumstances in the present moment,
We will intimately know dissatisfaction and suffering.
Now just to be clear,
Acceptance does not mean we condone or like or approve of all things.
It simply means we acknowledge current circumstances as they are.
And when we can do this,
We can live life fully.
For example,
When the addict or alcoholic accepts his or her condition,
A solution and recovery are then possible.
When a test confirms the presence of cancer in the body,
A plan for treatment can be created and implemented and remission may then be possible.
And when a virus overtakes the entire world,
We can figure out how to come together as a human race like never before and be better than ever before.
Stimulus.
Response.
Cause.
Effect.
This is life in the present moment.
To accept what is.
And to let the truth of our global shared reality shape our thoughts,
Words and actions.
Life is to be lived united,
Not divided.
It is to acknowledge similarities,
Not differences.
It is to grow together,
Share tragedy and triumph together,
To lift each other up mentally,
Emotionally,
Physically and spiritually together.
What is our perspective on life today?
What will we do with the time we have left on earth?
How will we embrace the present moment?
Life is now.
We are here now.
Love is here now.
And truth is here now.
Now is the only time we have to make things right.
To say the things we need to say.
To help others in need.
To rise up to be the people we are here to be.
So,
If our time is running out,
And if we are moving toward a finish line,
And we are trying to live life to the fullest,
A suggestion.
Let's head down the final stretch of this human race together.
Without attachment to winning or losing.
Without judgment.
Without focusing on doing,
But rather being.
Let's live together.
Let's heal together.
Let's share a living message of hope together.
This is our time.
This is what we are here for.
This is our life.
Thank you for being here.
