The question I ask myself is not “do I like doing this,” but rather “is this good for me.” There were or are things I like doing but they were not good for me. Then I did things I did not like doing, but they were good for me. You don’t get out of incomprehensible demoralization by asking “do I like this.” You are too sick to know what is good for you, but sick enough to know you must make a drastic change. I have found it so. People ask me if I like cooking in the monastery. Or do I like cooking at all. But an answer to that question depends on how my ego is doing. My ego has had its day of reign. It was not a very successful ruler. It was happiest when most self-centered, when self will ran riot. Then came incomprehensible demoralization. So I cook for others because it is good for me to do this. It connects me with the community in a healthy way. It may at times be boring and at time creative and exciting. If I do it for praise, then I have slipped off the path of becoming my best self.
Thursday, November 17, 2022
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Thank you for sharing this approach to some of my own responsibilities. It's a very helpful reminder of how to stay on the beam and continue to move forward instead of getting wobbly.
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