People are hurt.

I have been reading a lot of Jiddu Krishnamurti's work and listening to his talks.

If you want to find out more about him go here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti

In short Krishnamurti was a philosopher who rejected much of what he was taught, denied organized religion, and had no allegiance to any land.

In one of his talks he mocks yoga a bit. Which as a yoga teacher and advocate I don't love, but what he has to say was pretty funny.

Krishnamurti's veiw on yoga here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chPBmSzvStQ he actually  does say many good things in this talk and other writings about the practice.

I resonate deeply with much that he has to say and is trying to teach. Honestly its almost completely in line with my own beliefs and much of my training in yoga, self-inquiry and meditation.

He died when I was 2 (shame, I could have been one of his followers :-) ).

So, how are you hurt?

I would bet that you (and I) could name many ways.

Is there anyway to avoid hurt?

Avoid hurt from happening again?

Heal from the hurts of the past?

Maybe.

Krishnamurti's idea goes a little something like this; We are born into a world of hurt. The moment that we are born to our parents they immediately have plans for us, ideals for us, an identity for us.

As a mother of three myself I know this is true. I have ideals for my children. I would like it very much if they were known for being extremely loving and kind. I would like it very much if they excelled in education and passed all the schools test with ease (even though this wasn't true for myself). I would like it very much if they were great at sports. I would like it very much if they practiced yoga and meditation. I would like it very much if they grew up to be doctors or scientist. I would like all of these ideals for my children, very much.

Doesn't seem so bad, right?

Except for, at the very moment of out birth we are expected to fit into this identity. The way we simply are will not do. No, we must form and mold good humans, correct?

Then this process goes on. We head off to school and our systems, teachers, authority figures, society, politics all has a set of ideals for the people who pass through this system. At some point most all of us fail some, all, or many of these ideals. And can you guess how that feels when we feel we have failed an ideal that was set for us?

It feels like hurt.

The process continues through jobs, lives that we live and maybe at times don't even really like but were living up to this prerequisite about our lives that started the moment we were born.

The process deepens into the space of our mind. We make or set superficial ideals for ourselves, maybe not even actually for ourselves as much as for the acceptance and approval of others.

 And whoever that baby was when it was born is still inside but it is confused and hurt because that baby never really got to decide who he or she wanted to be... he or she from day one started trying to live up to the ideals of everyone around them. This baby has tried very hard to have an identity that everyone around them would say was good. And maybe because of all of these ideals that baby grows up never really deeply knowing itself. He or she has just been going through the motions and jumping through the hoops that the world set before this tiny, innocent, good human from day one.

It might be hard to put our finger on it at times. But, have you ever woke up and thought:

 "what am I doing with my life? I'm not doing the things I want to do? I cant change it because everyone around me needs me to be what I am now. I cant change because of the ideals that I "Have" to live up to."

Who hasn't felt this way?

And so then, if this is where hurt starts, is there any cure?

Where can hurt begin to heal, or maybe just show up a little less in life?

J. Krishnamurti says that there is a way.

The cure, is to drop the story. Drop the identity. Drop the ideals. Drop the expectations, for yourself and for those around you.

In my Baptiste inspired yoga teacher training one of the things we were told was to drop our story.

Yeah, maybe up to this point in your life you have been someone. Maybe you have been an asshole. Maybe you have been late allllllllll the time. Maybe you aren't as social as you wish you were. Maybe your are messy or unorganized. Maybe you don't care for yourself. Maybe you love to read but you never pick up a book, Maybe you hate your job. Maybe you've been a shitty parent. Maybe you eat bacon every dam day.

Maybe some or all of these things are part of your "story". Maybe you have made these things that have been true at one time in your life something that has to be true forever. And that is simply not so.

You are writing the story.

Whats it gonna be?

"Why do you want to be students of books instead of students of life? Find out what is true and false in your environment with all of its oppression and its cruelties, and then you will find out what is true.

The story of mankind is in you, the vast experience, the deep-rooted fears,anxieties, sorrows, pleasure, and all the beliefs that man has accumulated throughout the millennia. You are that book.

We are like two friends sitting in the park on a lovely day talking about life, talking about our problems, investigating the very nature of our existence, and asking ourselves seriously why life has become such a great problem, why, though intellectually we are very sophisticated, yet our daily life is such a grind, without any meaning, except survival which again is rather doubtful. Why has life, every day existence, become such a torture? We may go to Church, follow some leader, political or religious, but the daily life is always such a turmoil; though there are certain periods which are occasionally joyful, happy,there is always a cloud of darkness about our life.And these two friends, as we are, you and I, are talking over together, in a friendly manner, perhaps with affection, with care, with concern, whether it is at all possible to live our daily life without problem." 
-J, Krishnamurti -The Book of Life



How can you start writing your own story?

What is something you believe is true about yourself that you no longer want to be part of your story?

You have the complete ability to drop it.

Drop it.

Write something new