The Most Important Thing To Remember

Searching for Fulfillment

We dedicate our lives to the relentless pursuit of fulfillment and meaning. We convince ourselves that one day, in a climactic moment, we will discover that elusive missing piece and achieve our long-sought wholeness. Years pass and all our efforts haven’t unearthed what we thought they would. That piece continues to elude us. We still feel incomplete.

Then, exasperated, exhausted, when all our hard-trodden paths have only led us back to the beginning, we are struck by a thunderbolt of recognition. We comprehend something we once knew but have long since forgotten - we aren’t missing a piece; we are that piece, an absolutely fundamental element of the jigsaw puzzle of existence. Every atom in the vast universe is exactly where it is supposed to be. Everything is not only going to be ok; everything is already ok. We are enough. We are whole.

When we are born, we step on to a traveling carny’s gravitron. It starts to spin furiously. In our joy, we scream for more. In our despair, we cry for it to stop. Our outstretched arms grasp at the air for something to cling onto amid the whirlwind of entropy that birthed us. As it accelerates faster and faster, we forget we’re on a ride and that we waited an eternity in line for it. We forget our fellow riders we share this experience with. We forget that it’s supposed to be fun. Most tragically, we forget that we ourselves are the carny.

Life is Meant to be Fun

The pursuit of fulfillment that propels the world’s hustle and bustle is simply a game, one we choose to play every moment of every day. We can just as easily choose not to play, to surrender to the present moment and reveal the inherent perfection of now.

Words like “should” and “ought” have no place here; they are hubristic rebellions against the enchantment of existence, implying imperfection in a flawless process. Even the concepts of “good” and “bad” dissolve - human-made labels unfit for a grand spectacle with a plot beyond what our limited primate hardware can comprehend.

Events unfold, evolve, unravel, develop, and deconstruct. Cycles of extinction and resurrection ensue. A barren galactic rock gives birth to flowers and music and nuclear war.

The wise embrace this truth, though not without sacrifice. To realize one’s wholeness requires the relinquishment of the ego, the very entity that so fervently yearns to be whole. Desire drives the ego on its futile odyssey for fulfillment, a Red Queen’s race for more. It is the soundtrack blaring through our headphones as we run on the treadmill to nowhere, perpetually just a step away from feeling complete.

Most of us can remember a time when the life we now lead was just a dream we passionately pursued. We eagerly anticipated what we today take for granted. But the saga continues - the quest for more chases us up an asymptote of gratification. But don’t succumb to the trap of condemning this! The experience of life wouldn’t be nearly as rich or enjoyable without it. Remember, it’s meant to be fun. 

Remember, You Are Already Whole

As agents of change, we champion progress and tirelessly pursue improvement, growth, and happiness. This innate longing for more, for better, for different, is etched into our DNA. It propelled us from caves to penthouses, from hunting mammoth in frigid plains to buying prepackaged steaks in refrigerated grocery aisles. It too is part of the majesty of being.

So fight for change, fall in love, grieve your pet, floss your teeth. Play and relish the game. Feel it all, the beauty and the terror. But whenever you choose, rediscover that inner peace - that sanctuary of serenity unveiled by radical acceptance in the depths of your heart. A shelter with no “should”, no “ought”, no “good”, no “bad”. Just the dance of atoms on the cosmic stage to a song we are lucky enough to sing along to for a few decades. And you can rightfully call it home.