To Not to Stress

Think of a pleasant warm shower that gives one relaxation. Think back to how its warmth is powered.

The water is warmed by a boiler, at the heart of which sits a tiny furnace, at the core of which is FIRE. Powerful, raw fire. This is what fire is: an energy that exudes power.

Should one decide to tear down a shower, expose the pipes, trace them to the boiler, piece it apart, reach to its core, and put their hands on the fire - THEY. WILL. BURN.

That does not imply that the fire is "harmful" or the boiler is "bad." They are what they are. The issue is that they are engaged by an external entity at the level to which the boiler ought not to have been engaged.

Our fire is meant to power us - no more, no less. How it's used in the world out there is based upon our intention, it's not the "fault" of the nature of the fire. We stand between our energy and the world, and that's where the transaction with the outer world takes place.

Don't be tempted to blame the fire within; it powers you. Don't prevent your fire from being channeled either - it creates pleasure, relaxation, and joy by transforming the energy of water into a warm shower.

You are you.

Transform a situation in which you are being pieced apart. And know that this tearing or this transformation is a process that takes only ONE: you.

This occurred to me during a meditation last night. 'The question that came into my mind was: how does stress 'peel us down to the animal level?' Why do we feel rage? Must the animal within be reigned in, or must it be liberated?"

This question arose in a conversation earlier.

The answer has helped me understand the stress situation I had been examining in my self (and my dear Karachi world) for the past couple of weeks - a situation that inevitably leads to moments where the whole world seems hostile and we react in a snap.