Is life a blessing or a mistake?

[MysticSang'ha]

"This day is a special day, it is yours.
Yesterday slipped away, it cannot be filled anymore with meaning.
About tomorrow nothing is known.
But this day, today, is yours, make use of it.
Today you can make someone happy.
Today you can help another.
This day is a special day, it is yours." ​

That's an Indian poem that just makes my heart sing. It encompasses everything I feel about life and our opportunity to live in the here and now, and our reasons and motivations for what we can do as people. And it also shows a beautiful POV on the blessings of life.​

But to ponder, if life were considered a "mistake".........what if one would look at it as one can look at mistakes from a healthy perspective? Like a mistake is a learning experience, and an opportunity to grow and evolve, to become better than we were before?​

Would you then lean more toward the blessing or the mistake?​

 

[Caladan]

the most persistent principles of the universe are accident and error.

Maybe that is the real beauty of it. some mistakes are a true blessing.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

the most persistent principles of the universe are accident and error.

Maybe that is the real beauty of it. some mistakes are a true blessing.

Some mistakes, Dan, but how do we view mistakes as a whole? And definitely when contemplated as a working definition of life?

Although, I tend to try to see all mistakes as that proveribal "blessing in disguise." They hold tremendous potential for us to learn.

Are there blessings that don't have mistakes attached to them, or that preceded them? The unplanned pregnancy comes to mind that later becomes a baby that is welcomed into the world.

 

[cardero]

"This day is a special day, it is yours.​

Yesterday slipped away, it cannot be filled anymore with meaning.
About tomorrow nothing is known.
But this day, today, is yours, make use of it.
Today you can make someone happy.
Today you can help another.
This day is a special day, it is yours." ​

That's an Indian poem that just makes my heart sing. It encompasses everything I feel about life and our opportunity to live in the here and now, and our reasons and motivations for what we can do as people. And it also shows a beautiful POV on the blessings of life.​

But to ponder, if life were considered a "mistake".........what if one would look at it as one can look at mistakes from a healthy perspective? Like a mistake is a learning experience, and an opportunity to grow and evolve, to become better than we were before?​

Would you then lean more toward the blessing or the mistake?​

I shall post my response in the form of a song/poem as well.

YouTube - Talk Talk - Life's what you make it

If one looks very closely one will notice Jeremy Mason, Kadbiz and Stephen W featured in the video.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

I keep thinking of Bob Ross in conversations like this:

We don't make mistakes, we just have happy little accidents.

:bounce

 

[Caladan]

Some mistakes, Dan, but how do we view mistakes as a whole? And definitely when contemplated as a working definition of life?

Although, I tend to try to see all mistakes as that proveribal "blessing in disguise." They hold tremendous potential for us to learn.

Are there blessings that don't have mistakes attached to them, or that preceded them? The unplanned pregnancy comes to mind that later becomes a baby that is welcomed into the world.

I don't know perhaps everything is rooted in accident and 'mistakes', but that is our subjective POV, as far as the universe, it is just doing its thing

 

[MysticSang'ha]

I don't know perhaps everything is rooted in accident and 'mistakes', but that is our subjective POV, as far as the universe, it is just doing its thing

I hear ya, darling. We could look in the same light at terms like friends, enemies, and strangers........they're all very arbitrary and subjective, aren't they?

Hmmm, maybe what we should ask is which of the terms "blessing" or "mistake" motivates us more toward happiness?

 

[Caladan]

I guess when we are centered on ourselves we call events that turn out for our benefit a Blessing, and events that turn out to be against what we desire, or that hurt us Errors.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

I guess when we are centered on ourselves we call events that turn out for our benefit a Blessing, and events that turn out to be against what we desire, or that hurt us Errors.

Interesting!! Kind of like how we tend to view "friends" as people who give us what we want, and "enemies" as people who don't give us what we want.

Are these terms useful for anyone though? Blessings, mistakes, friends, enemies, strangers, etc.? And how can they be useful?

 

[Caladan]

Well, when we are in a state of uplifting enlightenment these terms may seem to lose their meaning, but when we settle down in our earthly reason again, we try to play around with them having our new found inner revelation.
they can be useful in helping us maintain our identity, sanity, and place in the world.

In a way it reminds me of the words of one of the most intense souls that have walked the orient, Jalaludin Rumi:

My heart is pulsing with passion, like waves on an ocean.

My friends have become strangers and I'm surrounded by enemies.

But I'm free as the wind, no longer hurt by those who approach me.

I'm at home, wherever I am. And in the room of lovers I can see with closed eyes

the beauty that dances. Behind the veils intoxicated with love, I too dance the rhythm

of this moving world. I have lost my senses in this world of lovers. ​

 

[No*s]

"This day is a special day, it is yours.
Yesterday slipped away, it cannot be filled anymore with meaning.
About tomorrow nothing is known.
But this day, today, is yours, make use of it.
Today you can make someone happy.
Today you can help another.
This day is a special day, it is yours." ​

That's an Indian poem that just makes my heart sing. It encompasses everything I feel about life and our opportunity to live in the here and now, and our reasons and motivations for what we can do as people. And it also shows a beautiful POV on the blessings of life.​

But to ponder, if life were considered a "mistake".........what if one would look at it as one can look at mistakes from a healthy perspective? Like a mistake is a learning experience, and an opportunity to grow and evolve, to become better than we were before?​

Would you then lean more toward the blessing or the mistake?​

Why can you not do both? We have no identity outside of the past, but we ought not live in it. With that in mind, we can live in the present, focus on loving our neighbor, and constantly repent. That, in itself, would be a very fulfilling life, one I have yet to achieve.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Why can you not do both? We have no identity outside of the past, but we ought not live in it. With that in mind, we can live in the present, focus on loving our neighbor, and constantly repent. That, in itself, would be a very fulfilling life, one I have yet to achieve.

No kidding, No*s......I'm still working on it, too. And you make an excellent point.

Do we get caught up in these arbitrary terms? Like floating around in fluffy bunnyism when constantly in a state of euphoric bliss of how everything is totally cool and we get everything we want - or we beat ouselves up or beat others up for not satisfying our wants as much as they seemingly should?

I never claimed to be a good Buddhist. :angel2:

 

[No*s]

No kidding, No*s......I'm still working on it, too. And you make an excellent point.

Do we get caught up in these arbitrary terms? Like floating around in fluffy bunnyism when constantly in a state of euphoric bliss of how everything is totally cool and we get everything we want - or we beat ouselves up or beat others up for not satisfying our wants as much as they seemingly should?

I never claimed to be a good Buddhist. :angel2:

Yes we do. Reality doesn't conform very easily to our categories, but categorize it we should. There is very little that we can do to conform to the <i>logos</i> within each one of us. It's a long, hard, struggle, and I'm not very good at it either . Life is a mystery, after all.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Yes we do. Reality doesn't conform very easily to our categories, but categorize it we should. There is very little that we can do to conform to the <i>logos</i> within each one of us. It's a long, hard, struggle, and I'm not very good at it either . Life is a mystery, after all.

Yay! Fumbling and bumbling believers and practitioners unite! :highfive:

 

[BruceDLimber]

Wow!

You're really opening yourself up to a dangerous answer here!:

It would be real easy for someone to say,

"My life is a blessing; yours is a mistake!"

(Of course, I would never stoop to that.)

Cheers!

Bruce

 

[Don Penguinoini]

Life, to me is no doubt a blessing. Without life, what would be? Would there be a point in our universe if it contained no intelligent life? (assuming we are the only intelligent race, although i believe in aliens) Hitler was a mistake though. Pretty cool moustache though.

 

[Charity]

Life can be a blessing if we don't make a mistake Unfortunately that is the way we learn is by our mistakes......

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Life can be a blessing if we don't make a mistake Unfortunately that is the way we learn is by our mistakes......

Why is that unfortunate? We can make mistakes that inconvenience or hurt ourselves and/or others - but we can offer reparations for our mistakes and resolve not repeat the same mistake again. Those hurt do have the choice to forgive us or not, and life goes on.

Or were you just being cute again, like you normally are?

 

[Charity]

Why is that unfortunate? We can make mistakes that inconvenience or hurt ourselves and/or others - but we can offer reparations for our mistakes and resolve not repeat the same mistake again. Those hurt do have the choice to forgive us or not, and life goes on.

Or were you just being cute again, like you normally are?

The unfortunate part is sometimes we repeat the same mistakes over and over again.....Our blessing is kept on hold while we are going around in a circle. And the bad thing is some people never learn by their mistakes, now that is unfortunate. If we grow and prosper by our mistakes then that is great.... I think I'm reflecting on a few mistakes that I have made. Those mistakes are not cute, just stupid

 

[Charity]

The unfortunate part is sometimes we repeat the same mistakes over and over again.....Our blessing is kept on hold while we are going around in a circle. And the bad thing is some people never learn by their mistakes, now that is unfortunate. If we grow and prosper by our mistakes then that is great.... I think I'm reflecting on a few mistakes that I have made. Those mistakes are not cute, just stupid

What I intended to say is it is unfortunate that we don't use our common sense more then maybe we wouldn't have to make a lot of the mistakes that we do to start with.....