Our suffering is believing there is a way out
aka The way out is through
Hi, I’ve written a little about “the way out is through” on Useful / Beautiful and I think it’s time I share the powerful concept here on Daily Sticky. Today’s sticky is:
“Our suffering is believing there is a way out.” - Mel Weitsman
The way out is through.
Why do we want a way out? There’s a general feeling among humans that we’re supposed to “figure things out”. We don’t like to sit with our discomfort when our situation is not as we think it should be so we’ll gladly pay (with money or simply time and attention) for the answers, a checklist, a proven system, or some other solution for moving us from here to there faster. We want to skip all this life nonsense and get on with it. Which is missing the point. We cause our own suffering when we wish we were somewhere or something other than what is real and now.
I am trying to learn — and apparently this is a lesson I must learn over and over again — that the way out is through. I’m not sure how to explain why I think this is the answer other than that it is what is real, and fighting reality seems like a bad idea.
The act of reminding myself is, in a way, not accepting where I am. It’s a paradox. And yet, here I am.
What do you think?
Love,
Kate
p.s. I admit that I don’t know who Mel Weitsman is. I got this quote from Oliver Burkeman’s newest book, Meditations for Mortals.
A lot of people need this. So many folx are struggling with the idea that we can or have to or should do something (and to be fair many actions are better than others). I keep saying “this time in history is a crucible” and no one wants to hear it. I get that the weapon isn’t pointed at me. Thanks for putting the thought out there!