Endings and beginnings

In each loss there is a gain, as in every gain there is a loss, and with each ending comes a new beginning.

– Buddhist proverb

Two faces of the same coin. I seem to say that more and more. Our intellect works through duality, through contrast, where one exists in contradiction to the other. While this type of understanding has brought us to present time, it has now also served its purpose.

2020, the year of awakening, has brought both chaos and clarity. In its wake, we are left to question our very fundamentals; our priorities, our relationships, what we need in order to enjoy a comfortable life. And flowing deeper, some of us found ourselves asking, who are we, what do we stand for, are our lives an accurate manifestation of our desires? Or have we been pulled off course by an unconscious collective current.

These were difficult questions and it took courage to go there, especially when the answers brought more anguish. But feeling through the dense fog of pain we found our way to an ever growing light, leading us to healing. In losing those dear to us, we found ourself stripped of all our delusions of control. Standing naked in our fragility, we were offered front row seats to view our own mortality. Yet this acute vulnerability rendered the most precious of gifts, an invitation to awaken to the divine within us.

Coming face to face with the transient nature of life, has compelled us to reassess how we were living our own. For me it brought up the idea of responsibility. I know that ‘family’ and ‘career’ are focal themes for many of us but in trying to do our best by these commitments, we often fail to address our own personal needs. I had to ask myself, perhaps for the first time, if I had lived with a sense of responsibility towards myself. The answer, while bleak, was also a much needed call to arms.

Another theme that came up was that of home. So many of us are ending the year largely without having seen extended family or in some cases, even members of our immediate one. This brought up a myriad of emotions, ranging from heartache, nostalgia to longing. We have moved through multiple nuances of the word ‘Home’ searching for what lies at its heart. Beyond the comfort of our houses, past all that is familiar, surpassing even our nearest and dearest, where is this yearning carrying us? What does ‘Coming Home’ mean to you?

Whatever has challenged us this year, has also served to elevate us to the next level of our personal and collective growth. Though the contagious nature of this virus may have isolated us, it has also unified us in the truth that we feel strongest together. Our very life force thrives in being part of a greater whole. And the well being of this greater whole lies in each of us realising that we are one.

Change is upon us, whether we want it or not. All that remains now is how we choose to navigate it. Let the losses that we have borne this year give us clarity and wisdom to create a new beginning. For only when we know better, can we do better.

 

 

Best
Afshan