The quote is attributed to Dalai Lama in an article at Philosiblog.
If you have not been hit by a horrible tragedy in your life, you are a rare person and I am happy for you.
In the Bible, Jesus says “in this world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
We will leave for another time the long discussion of how Jesus overcame the world. Today, look at the first part of the sentence – if you are alive you will have trouble and problems and tribulation in life. It is inevitable.
What is not inevitable is how we respond. The quote from Dalai Lama and discussion by Philosiblog reminds us we have a choice to make after we finish grieving the tragedy.
Yes, we will grieve. There will be a time of hurt and loss and pain and wondering how you could possibly ever make it through just one more day.
The grieving is not the end. As the post reminds us:
There will be a grieving process. But one must remember that it is a process, not a new place to stay. The feelings will come, and eventually they will pass. Remembering to keep hope alive during this time may be difficult, but it can be done.
A process.
Not a place to stay.
We need to keep hope alive and we need to choose to move on.
Eventually, the grieving will be done, and it will be time to get back to our life. What then? Will you find your hope? Will you take advantage of the new opportunities presented in the wake of tragedy? Again, it is a choice. You can choose to remain in grief, or you can move through it and emerge with hope.
Sometimes there will be a literal rebuilding, such as after a natural disaster. Sometimes it will be an emotional or financial rebuilding. Sometimes after the grieving you just have to get back to life.
Will you seek the opportunities to rebuild? Will you seek out opportunity to make things better in your life?
To a large degree, that is your choice.
It took me a loooong time to ponder that concept, of whether you determine your attitude. Eventually I grasped it.
The quote, and great explanation at Philosiblog, reminds us that at a deep level, how we move forward after inevitable tragedy is still a choice.
Please persevere.