The Cure for the Pain
"The cure for the pain is in the pain." - Rumi
Whilst recently on a phone call with a dear friend we discussed this quote as we talked, surrounded by so much pain. He on the brink of a devastating loss, and I, seeing more deaths in my work as a doctor in recent months than in so many previous years.
In the midst of this global pandemic, with the light at the end of the tunnel seeming increasingly distant, this quote really resonated with us.
The pain we all feel, for ourselves and for each other, can be instructional and a catalyst for realisation and transformation.
The only way out is through...
Thomas Moore distills the essence of Rumi's quote in his The Dark Nights of the Soul:
"Many people think that the point of life is to solve their problems and be happy. But happiness is usually a fleeting sensation, and you never get rid of problems.
Your purpose in life may be to become more who you are and more engaged with the people and the life around you, to really live your life.The only way out is through...
That may sound obvious, yet many people spend their time avoiding life. They are afraid to let it flow through them, and so their vitality gets channeled into ambitions, addictions, and preoccupations that don't give them anything worth having.
A dark night, may appear, paradoxically, as a way to return to living. It pares life down to its essentials and helps you get a new start."
