The practical enlightenment

The practical enlightenment

There are a lot of stories and metaphors of life.
Here is one I like in particular for its practicality – life as a river.
Imagine life is a river and time is the flow of water.

First you are born.
Your soul, ego or mind, whatever you want to call it is put in this boat – that is your physical body – and we are pushed down the river.

As a child you don’t know much about what is going on.
You just enjoy the ride and if the river hits some rapids you just go - yahoo!
There are others – parents and teachers – that take care of the navigation.

But as you grow up they teach you that the river is dangerous and you have to stay out of the trouble waters.
So they teach you to control the boat and you start to paddle.

Then you become an adult and now you are on your own.
The problem is that many of us have no idea where we are going and so many of us end up paddling against the current and of course many of us don’t manage to stay out of the trouble waters.

Some of us though, get the idea and start taking advantage of life’s opportunities and manage to navigate the river.
But the river some times gets wild – like right now, when it seems we are going over a water fall and we don’t know where the bottom is.
But don’t worry after the waterfall there is a calm and safe pool – if you make it out of the fall alive.

Any way, you get a little bruised, a little wet but you keep on going.
You see, the river of time will carry you no matter what. There is no stopping until you hit the ocean!
Now on the river of life you meet other boats and exchange stories and maybe for a while you go down the river together.
Such is life.

Some people will tell you to stop fighting the current – which is a good advice always.
Some people will tell you to throw away your ores and be like a child, carried by the river of time.
Some people will tell you to study the river and learn how to navigate in harmony with the forces of the water.
Some people will tell you they will sell you the secret of navigation in exchange for your soul.

But no matter what you believe or what you do, one morning you wake up and you find yourself in the middle of the ocean.
You have made it, you will always will, because that is where the river ends.
So don’t worry, enjoy your ride.

Row, row, row your boat, merrily down the stream…