When an item is sold “as is,” it means that there is no warranty. The buyer accepts the item in its current condition and assumes all responsibility for whatever happens, understanding that there are no promises or guarantees about how long or how well the item will perform.
Life is like that, I think. Somehow, we’ve gotten the idea that life should come with some guarantees that things will work out a certain way. And if there is disappointment, then it must be because something went wrong, and there must be someone to blame. We struggle with reality, wanting it to be different, and when it isn’t, we suffer.
But in fact, life is the original “as is” purchase. Things happen. Or, as a friend said, everything happens, and even if everything does happen for a reason, it is not always a reason we can understand. It all happens, whether we like it or not, in ways that we can rarely control or predict. We tell ourselves that it is noble to resist, to stand our ground against the current of universal energy that flows on, like water does, over or around whatever obstacles we put in its path.
We have lost our faith in the wisdom of nature’s rhythms, and we have disconnected ourselves from the infinite web of creation that vibrates in eternal harmony. We have isolated ourselves in a virtual reality of judgment, fear, enmity, and helplessness, overwhelmed by the way we try to operate instead of waking up to see that nothing is as we thought it to be.
Life is as it is. We are as we are. This moment is what it is. Denying, fighting, wishing will not change it. What we can change is our perspective. We can pause our inner narrative of interpretation and evaluation, and be present, fully present, with curiosity, acceptance, and compassion.
There is only one heroism in the world: to see the world as it is, and to love it. ~Romaine Rolland
great posting — This sums it up
Life is as it is. We are as we are. This moment is what it is. Denying, fighting, wishing will not change it. What we can change is our perspective. We can pause our inner narrative of interpretation and evaluation, and be present, fully present, with curiosity, acceptance, and compassion.
Thanks Esther!
I would add the idea of attitude adjustment. When things aren’t going the way we’d prefer, we are best served by understanding the universe doesn’t follow our needs. We can make our journey easier by accepting that fact and changing our attitude to make the best of the situation.
So true, Bob. The universe has its own way of doing things. I’m laughing as I remember my son James, who has autism, telling me one day that he just likes to do things his own way. Maybe he’s more in tune with the universe than the rest of us! Attitude adjustment helps us quit exhausting ourselves when we struggle to make the universe meet our expectations.