Why is Life so Hard??
Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.” But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.”
Kahlil Gibran
Why is life so hard???
That’s the big question of human existence… Paired with the sentiment “Life Isn’t Fair!!”
This is what my 9 year old daughter Isadora asks me at least twice a week, when eczema itchiness overwhelms her nervous system.
And what do I say to her? How can I hold space for her to have her feelings AND prevent her from feeling hopeless AND help her remember that she is So Incredibly Lucky compared to so many suffering children in the world??
It’s a lot for me to navigate.
I don’t have a magical method to share with you, unfortunately. I wish I did.
What I can share is an idea that has been rattling the synapses in my brain for a few weeks now. I haven’t felt a big “A HA!” moment from it yet, but I feel that maybe one is brewing.
Here is the idea - What if we asked the opposite question? Instead of asking “Why is life so hard?” we asked, “Why is life so joyful?”
What happens in your mind and body when you read that?
When I first read it, (I can’t remember where now, so I apologize for not crediting whomever brought this thought into my world!) I felt something in my brain POP!
And then I thought Wait! What?!?
Who says that life should be easy and joyful? Who says that is the way it is meant to be? Maybe life on earth for humans is meant to be hard and painful. And some Divine Being or Just Plain Luck or by some Crazy Circumstance we get to sometimes have moments of beauty, ease and joy?
When I begin to look, I see evidence to support this idea everywhere:
Why do we get to experience so much pleasure at the sight of a sunset, the smell of baking bread and the taste of the first cup of coffee every morning?
Why do hugs feel so good?
Why can we experience such delicious sensations from listening to incredible singers and musicians?
Why do we get to have orgasms?? Lots of animals just go about mating without seeming to experience much pleasure in it. But we get to have ORGASMS!!! How lucky/divine is that??
Maybe the magical method to answering the big life question is to start asking a different question altogether instead…
What do you think?
I look forward to hearing from you !
Big Love,
Margot