In life, we all must make decisions and do things that will make our short time on Earth seem unfair, confusing and dismal. There is no way to avoid these situations that call upon us to make a choice that seems impossible. It is a fact of life that we will all face suffering, but it is important to remember that through darkness comes the light at the end of the tunnel. When there is something blocking our way to the light, we have two options. We can choose to let whatever may be blocking us determine our path and life. In this situation, we must turn around. Or, we can look ahead and face the hardship that comes with choosing to go past what challenges us. Despite the possible pain and sorrow caused by this, we must only look forward, rather than look back. To fully understand these adversities, we must first become familiar with the nature of suffering in our lives.
"No mud, no lotus." This quote from Thich Nhat Hanh, a prominent Buddhist monk, contains only four words but packs a message about life into five short syllables. You might be wondering what these words have to do with making hard decisions. As I mentioned earlier, in life we will all face suffering. There will be things that don't go our way. Things that will tear us apart and force us to question whether we will ever feel happy again.
Mud represents suffering. Mud is dirty, disgusting and makes a giant mess. At some point in life, we are going to get stuck in the mud. The lotus represents happiness. In case you haven't seen a lotus flower before, it is a beautiful aquatic plant that is usually a beautiful shade of pink. The lotus flower needs mud to grow. I'm guessing by now you might be making the connection between the mud and the lotus. Without suffering, there is no happiness.
"Most people are afraid of suffering. But suffering is a kind of mud to help the lotus flower of happiness grow. There can be no lotus flower without the mud." Thich Nhat Hanh again summarizes in short of what I was trying to convey earlier. We are all afraid of the bad things that can happen to us in life. These bad things tear us down and make us want to give up. On the other hand, these bad things become a lesson that helps us grow stronger. This strength that builds up inside of us creates one of the most primal feelings we as humans yearn for, happiness.
Whatever you might be facing in life right now, remember that through it all you will discover happiness. Do not turn away from your obstacle, face it and gain the wisdom that comes along with the experience. Do not look at suffering as something that will ruin your life, but rather a step everyone must take to get to where you need to be. Also remember you are never alone in your journey. Find joy in the friends that will help you along the way, your family that will go great lengths to ensure your well-being and in knowing that mud happens, but there will always be a lotus.
