Return to Paradise

I sometimes wonder if our birth experience is buried deep in our memory. After all, birth has to be one of, if not the most, traumatic experience of life. Just imagine how it must have felt to be in your mother’s womb. Protected and provided for without care and suddenly the force of contractions begins to unsettle this security. Then after much tension, we are sent hurling down the birth canal to the light of a foreign world.n n This terrifying departure is the first and the most important lesson of life. Nothing lasts forever and all things change. There is no defense for this nor is there a prescribed way to deal with the uncertainty. We are born without an answer and there is no way to crawl back into the ignorant bliss we felt before birth.n n Yet this is not reason for depression. While it may seem dark to suggest that life is without inherent meaning, I would argue just the opposite. From the moment of our birth we begin to tread a path. This path will have many obstacles and disappointment but ultimately will reflect the choices we make along the way. This is only possible if we have the freedom to define our own existence.n n I rejoice in this freedom. I love knowing that I have power. Circumstance may try to bedevil me but my perspective is still up to me. To know and accept this freedom allows one to transcend religion, genetics, and environment. How utterly beautiful and transforming is to take charge of our lives in a world designed in chaos. n n Knowledge and acceptance of freedom is the only way to regain the lost paradise of the womb. Once you see the power you possess in every moment of everyday there is nothing that can ever truly bring you down. In essence our choices give us the power of magic. We can be in charge of our own perceptions and influence the perception of others. n n There is no question that life on planet earth is difficult. Disease, war, natural disasters, pollution, greed, anger, and many other calamities greet us the moment we leave the womb. Yet there is cause for joy! While it is true that the circumstantial facts of living can be very heavy, we still have the power to make choices. This freedom is our birthright. Cherish it because it the only constant one can be completely certain. Obstacles will come and rain will fall but we have the ability to get up if we decide to. n n n n