THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES FOR YOU NO MORE
“Life was never meant to be a struggle, just progression from one point to another, much like walking through a valley on a sunny day.” Stuart Wilde.
Introduction.
We learn from childhood that life is full of struggle. That you have to work hard to earn love, respect and acceptance if you want to amount to anything in life. That life involves struggle, and pain at times. That you need to put in an incredible effort, putting your nose to the grindstone.
Nature’s Lesson
Nature does not struggle. While humanity’s motto is “The struggle continues”, nature teaches a different story. Nature expends little to no effort in sustaining life on our planet. All living things, from plant life, the one-celled amoeba, to the largest predators, expend minimal effort to survive and flourish. Man is the exception; he alone struggles. Some say that’s a result of the curse from the Fall. Whatever the reason, he struggles unnecessarily through life.
Nature’s Examples
For example, plants don’t stress in order to survive and flourish. Do you suppose, for a moment that grass, shrubs and trees struggle? No. The roots, stems and leaves do their job without struggling. Do you suppose that insects, rodents, birds, fishes etc. also struggle? No.
The tiger or lion doesn’t rise at dawn in the forest saying to itself, “Poor me, I’m going to have to struggle like crazy today and hopefully by supper time I’ll have something to eat” No. It just rises, loafs around for a while and heads out, and by noon, a deer or other prey strays across it’s path- courtesy of mother nature. Yes, it may have to chase the prey for a couple of yards to catch it, but that can hardly be considered as a struggle compared to it’s strength.
Effort v. Struggle
The difference between effort and struggle is that effort is part of our natural condition as physical beings, struggle is an unnatural battle we fight within ourselves. Effort is a natural survival activity with no stress while struggle is effort that is laced with emotion, desperation, and stress. Effort is innocuous while struggle is effort laced with emotion, desperation and oftentimes pain. Struggle is a battle between who we are and how we want to be seen, which results in stress as we translate thoughts and feelings into physical action. Effort is harmless to health while struggle is a harbinger of physical, mental and emotional illness.
Impact
According to various surveys and estimates in the United States, 60-80% of all doctor visits are related to stress, and stress is linked to 6 out of 10 leading causes of death, including heart disease, stroke and cancer! It is obvious therefore that struggle is a killer, yet we have glibly normalized with “The struggle continues.” Struggle is a condition we can easily control if we want to because it is a by-product of our personal imbalances- what we are versus how we want to be perceived.
Limitations
We are limited in various ways by the very nature of our existence on planet earth. We are limited in physical, mental, and emotional stamina as well as in insight and foresight, but that is one of the lessons we are here to learn anyway. With the wisdom and courage to identify and face the causes of the struggle resulting from these limitations in your life, you grant yourself the power to transcend. Once you accept that you are the cause of your own struggle, you can then affirm, with certainty, that all struggle in your life can be eliminated, given time.
Struggle: A Programmed Response
From an early age, we are taught that struggle is a way of life. Struggle is therefore a programmed response which means that it often takes time to reprogram attitudes for a more carefree existence. As your attempt to reprogram succeeds, it is fun to see yourself move gradually from struggle into celestial acceptance of yourself and the world around you.
The very nature of our existence on planet earth puts certain limitations on us, but that is one of the lessons we are here to learn anyway. By having the courage to identify and face the causes of struggle in your life, you grant yourself the power to transcend.
Once you accept that you are the cause of your own struggle, you can then affirm, with certainty, that all struggle in your life can be eliminated, given time.
Further, because struggle is a programmed response – meaning that everyone is taught to struggle from an early age-it may take time to reprogram your attitudes for a more carefree existence. But it’s fun to see yourself move gradually from various forms of anguish into celestial acceptance of yourself and the world around you.
Solution
Here’s one way to deal with unnecessary struggle: Realize that you do not need greater amounts of money, influence or power. All you need is the ability to place yourself in a non-confrontational mode, first, with yourself, and second, with the world around you. Flow along with, not against nature.
As struggle begins to melt in the light of your balance and positivity, the new energy brings a freshness to your life, allowing your emotions to take a break from stressful struggle into a celestial calm.
Action Point
Each day, from this moment on, toss out, one after the other, the aspects of your life that cause you difficulty. Make a note of your progress, and see yourself moving inexorably toward your final goal of total freedom from unnecessary struggle in life.
Culled and edited by Dr. James Aremu-Cole from the book: “Life Was Never Meant To Be A Struggle” by Stuart Wilde.