We are here to learn lessons, and the world is our teacher (Cont.)

Some things are beyond our understanding... when child is born with AIDS, when a young mother is gunned down in a hold up, when a whole village is wiped out by flood, we are left asking: "WHY?" for this things there seem to be no answers. But on a different level - on the "everyday life level"- we can find some clues.

Have you ever noticed that certain things happen to certain people? Louise gets fired about every six months, Frank seems to get sued every year, Jim gets food poisoning on vacation.

Certain things don't seem to happen to certain people. Jim never gets fired, Louise never goes to court and Frank doesn't send postcards from hospital.

Particular people get particular lessons. We can react to all of this in one of three ways.  We either say:
- "My life is a series of lessons I need, happening in perfect order." 
- "Life is a lottery, but I make the most of whatever comes along."
- "Why do bad things always happen to me?"

We are continually being presented with lessons. Unless we learn the lessons, we get to take them again... and again and again.

Call it divine plan, call it the natural unfolding of events, it is happening. Like it or hate it, it is happening. Take responsibility or claim you're a victim, fight it or ignore it, it's happening. It has been happening all your life. Every time your neighbour abused you, each time a salesman ripped you off or a lover walked out o you, there was a lesson staring you in the face.

If we are miserable seven days a week, it's likely we've missed a lesson. When we keep losing jobs, lovers, money ... it's a sign that we haven't been paying attention. as one lay remarked: "I keep getting the same old problems in a different pair of trousers!"  

The worst thing we can ever say is: "It's not fair!"

Conclusion
We are not here to be punished. We are here to be educated. 
Every event has the potential to transform us, and disasters have the greatest potential to change our thinking . ACT AS IF EVERY EVENT HAS A PURPOSE, AND YOUR LIFE WILL HAVE PURPOSE. Figure out why you needed an experience, conquer it, and you won't need it again.

"It's only by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble there lies your treasure. The very cave are afraid to enter turns out to be the source of what you were looking for. (Joseph Campbell)

Life is doesn't always have to be painful - but pain is still the main reason we change. Until we are in pain, we can pretend. Our ego are lonely enough, or scared enough, we become vulnerable. Our ego has no more answers, and we open up. Pain encourages us to get serious.

It's always to be easier to be philosophical about other people's pain!. We look at Jim and say: "Going broke was a huge learning experience for him. "We look at Mary and say: "That divorce help her to stand on her own feet. "We all agree: "Challenges make you stronger."  But when our own challenges come along, we are not so enthusiastic. We say: "Lord, why this? Give me a convenient challenge!  "Unfortunately, real challenges aren't convenient.

Step by Step

Life is a bit like a ladder. To move up, we have to fix the step we're one - whether it's work, relationship, money, whatever. Once the step is fixed, we move to next step. People handle their steps in different ways:

" I hate this step- I want to be on a different once."That's when we stay stuck

"I want someone else's ladder - That's called jealousy.

"To hell with  this ladder - I'm jumping off." That is called suicide.

Whenever we are stuck, we might ask ourselves: "What haven't I fixed?"