So how does getting to know yourself, saving the world and letting go help you relax into magic? For starters it helps you notice the everyday of your life and allows you to reflect on the nitty-gritty of life, the little details. We must do all this while trusting in our inner goodness and the inner goodness of others to “relax into magic.”
What does it mean to really trust your inner goodness? To me, it’s just about trusting myself and releasing myself from the uncertainty of life that I have built up. Although, I admit it’s difficult when all I really want to know is the outcome of my scholarship application or how everything is going to work itself out in finding a sub-leaser, I still try. Try and let go of the uncertainty and focus on what I can control and realize that everything will work it’s else out, the universe will handle it.
“In many cases, the wisest thing to do is not do anything at all. She is willing to give the precious gift of time to all situations, allowing them to work out on their own, and only acting when action is truly needed.” (171)
But how does one relax and experience this magic when life is so stressful and continually moving around if all you’re meant to do is wait? With a sense of humor. Our problems are fluid and the ability to feel joy and find humor in the midst of dark situations helps maintain an openness with the world. It stops you from being cut off from the world and helps you stay in touch with your inner goodness. So load some funny youtube videos because you need to keep laughing and smiling.
Don’t hide from the world and cut yourself off, being genuine is one of the greatest gifts you can give the world. It’s so rare to find someone who is truly genuine that when you do you can’t help but gravitate towards them, “this sort of person is more interested in getting to know you than trying to convince you to like them” (174). In the world of social media, it’s easy to get caught up on the number of likes and and comments a photo or post is getting but it’s not everything. You shouldn’t have to convince anyone to like you by being fake, be you and be genuine, take interest in people and in the world. They’ll return the favor in due time.
A lot of people today would be skeptical to be so open and honest with people because they’d view it as being naive but there’s a difference. There’s a lot of things to be skeptical about in this world and a lot of things to question, especially when every time you turn on the news you’re surrounded by suffering. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone is basically bad. It’s the opposite really, everyone is basically good. We can’t judge strangers for other people’s mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone’s different and everyone’s basically good.
Over my college career I’ve written five different papers on human trafficking and it’s various aspects, it’s a topic I’m passionate about and love continually exploring. And I’ve had the same professor now for two different classes and in each class I’ve written about human trafficking (three of my papers have been to him). However, when I approached him this last time about another human trafficking paper he wondered if maybe I wouldn’t want to do something else because it’s such a depressing topic, I said thanks and wrote it anyway.
When I turned it in, he commented on how I was able to go through the whole research process with a positive attitude and turn it in with a smile after he’d read the vivid detail and firsthand accounts I’d put into my research. Yes, it’s difficult to read about human trafficking everyday (I’m currently writing a research model on the topic for yet another class) but it’s something I’m able to separate from everyday. Being more aware of a subject and the suffering in the world doesn’t need to stop you from smiling. Deep down I still look for the goodness in everyone, I don’t want to believe that everyone’s evil. I’ve been fascinated with psychopaths for as long as I can remember because I want to know what makes them tick. Is it an inherent evil? Or something else, an event or childhood that twisted the psyche and buried their goodness? These are the kind of questions that led me to first pursue Criminal Justice & Criminology.
I like how Rinzler phrased it;
“People are suffering in the world, but you can still rejoice in children playing on a playground right in front of your eyes. If you are able to connection to these simple delights, then you will be able to address larger issues, such as poverty and war, in a less jaded fashion.” (182)
So I will continue to research trafficking and the injustices of the world but I’ll still walk around with a smile on my face, laugh at stupid things, and find joy in the days spent playing with my nieces, nephew, and puppy. These outwards signs are my proof that people are basically good.
“‘Knowledge is power.’ However, true power rests in a very particular type of knowledge—the knowledge of how to help others. The root of true power is based in knowing how to exhibit compassion. Compassion can lead us to the wisdom of an open heart.” (184)
How does any of this have to do with magic? Honestly, I think magic is a bad word but I can tell you what it all means. It’s about learning to make the ordinary magical. Pause and take a look at the world around you, actually look up from your phone as you walk. Stop looking at your feet and look to the sky, the trees, the birds, see the magic all around you. Find magic in the ordinary. Acknowledge that time is precious and short and you need to make the most of it. Use this knowledge and find the magic all around you everyday. Experience the world around you, interact love it.
There’s a power in every moment—a chance for happiness if you look for it. And it’s every person’s responsibility to find those moments and cherish them.
—Mary Parker, aunt to the Amazing Spider-Man :)
So finding happiness and relaxing into magic, why should we care what buddhism has to teach on the subject? Because when you boil it down it’s simple, all you need to do is change your point of view. Shift from thinking about all the doubt and uncertainty in yourself and your life and instead focus on how brilliant and good you are. And the belief that if you intend to live life seeing the goodness in yourself, then you need to see the goodness in everyone else. At the core, believe that everyone is basically good.
It’s not about being perfect, no one is asking anyone to be perfect. Everyone has made mistakes, you’re not alone, I continue to make new mistakes everyday. But what we can do is move on. Move on from the past and focus on the present, because the present is not a mistake. The present is magic.
“You are the leader this world needs. If your primary intention is to be present with your world, be compassionate with others, and be a force of positive change in the world, there is nothing holding you back. There is no one else that will clean up your life and make you happy…You can make a difference in the world, so long as you have confidence in your innate ability to love.” (207)
