The School Of Hard Knocks: Rising From The Ashes Of Sorrow
“The School Of Hard Knocks: Rising From The Ashes Of Sorrow” was written by guest contributor, Samuel Kronen.
We grow through suffering. Plain and simple.
To experience suffering is to give way to the natural manifestation of human ingenuity. When we hurt, we move towards the unveiling of our true nature.
Through sorrow, we are made open to the possibility of tapping into our most authentic selves. It is our greatest tool in the context of personal-development, it is just that it cannot act as such until we come to perceive it as such.
Until we come to perceive suffering as the powerful existential implement that it is, it cannot guide us towards higher states of awareness.
The benefit of suffering
Suffering works to challenge, if not outright dissolve, our preconceived image of ourselves. This is why it has the potential to be so very useful. If we were to dissolve the image we have of ourselves, then we would invariably move towards spiritual growth.
It is the image which limits us, hinges us, contains us. It acts as such because it is that which stands between us and the present moment.
When we act out of self-image we are then detached from the immediacy of felt experience, The Now. The experiencing of sorrow predisposes us to shattering self-image. This is vital if we are to embody the present moment and thereby fulfill our deepest and greatest potential as human beings.
When we access the now we then evoke our highest selves. It is the image we have unconsciously honed of ourselves that prevents this access.
The idea we have regarding who we are does not encompass the underlying reality of what we are. Suffering expedites the process of stepping outside this very limiting idea and discovering that which we truly are: a pure and free movement of consciousness.
Sorrow elicits depth. It makes us realize that the way we’ve been going about our lives, the manners in which we are related to the world, aren’t cutting it. This implores us to look more deeply at ourselves, and in doing so we come upon the understanding that we are not our history, we are not our thoughts, and we are certainly not our culture. This is to say that when we feel sorrow we are forced to reexamine our perception.
Transforming sorrow
Of course, this transformation doesn’t happen in and of itself. We must actively participate in this reexamination.
All we need really do is get out of the way of the natural adaptability of our consciousness. When we cease to resist our inherent propensity to transmute suffering into higher degrees of awareness, then it will happen with an effortless finesse. Consciousness wants to make it all happen.
Our true nature will manifest only if we stop preventing it, and our preventative tactics are all brought about through the devices self-image. It is our culturally influenced idea of ourselves that makes us resistant to positive change, and as we continually allude to it is sorrow that frees us of the chains of shackles of self-image.
There is perhaps nothing worse than apathy. To abide in that middle ground between joy and sorrow wherein indifference is the most pertinent quality is to be caught in perpetual malaise. To be in a profound pain is one thing, as well as to be living abundantly in a state of joy, but when one simply doesn’t care.. That’s an ugly and digressive state to be in.
What we mean to convey here is that it is important to embrace suffering, for it is only once we have accepted the reality of our pain that we can have any hope of transmuting it into higher awareness. When we allow suffering to run its course rather than deny it, ignore it, resist it, we then come upon a deep sense of existential power.
Accept, then transcend
Our power as human beings is derived from our capacity to transcend suffering, which is predicated upon our ability to firstly accept suffering. It is by no means easy, in fact it is perhaps the most difficult undertaking amidst the human experience, but it is at once entirely necessary if we are to induce a better world.
When we overcome sorrow individually, we invariably move towards the overcoming of sorrow as a collective. This is the most important work to be done.
In the words of Eckhart Tolle, “Resist nothing…. Resist nothing.”
-Samuel
Do you want to raise your vibration?
If you enjoyed Samuel’s article (“The School Of Hard Knocks: Rising From The Ashes Of Sorrow”), consider signing up for my free Law of Attraction newsletter for conscious advice to help you attract positive outcomes into your life. You can also become a member of my LOA member website and gain access to a library of full-length video tutorials, ebooks, audiobooks and meditations. Learn how to attract the things you want with fun, clarity and success! Join today for as little as $1.99 or become an annual member for 30% in savings. XO, Andrea
About the Author: Samuel Kronen is a young writer, spiritual entrepreneur, and warrior of the soul whose life work is comprised of the pursuing of higher consciousness and the propagating of love and compassion on a collective level. You can also reach him directly via at sjkronen @ gmail (dot) com.
