Throw your cup away.
“I threw my cup away when I saw a child drinking from his hands at the trough.” ~ Diogenes
I once read a story about a Chinese poet, who asked a Zen master to describe the teachings of Buddha.
The master answered, “Buddha’s teaching is to do something good, not to do something bad.”
The poet was not impressed and said, “That’s pretty simple. Even a six-year-old knows that.”
The master replied, “Even though a six-year-old knows it, a sixty-year-old doesn’t do it.”
In my very first book, Sandbox Wisdom, I wrote: “The real teacher is life.” New experiences are what bring insights, growth and wisdom.
But the lessons of experience, like the lessons of Buddha, appear to be hidden. Otherwise, most sixty-year-olds would be jumping in rain puddles and successful business leaders would be skipping down the street.
My sincere hope is that you have learned something from the experience of the past 15 months, and that it will help you rediscover the obvious—namely, that you don’t need a key to success and happiness. And that’s because the proverbial door is a creation of your adult mind.
And once realized, you’ll do as Fritz Perls advised and, “Lose your mind and come to your senses.” You’ll throw away your cup, give up the incessant desire to control the future, and become a passionate and joyful participant in the wild and precious dance of life.
Stay passionate!