Hold up a crisp $50 bill to any number of average individuals and ask if they want it. Barring any debilitating paranoia on the individual’s part an honest reply would be “Yes.” And why not?
Now hold up a crumpled, stained and well used $50 bill. How many would refuse that? All things being equal … none. A crisp, clean, fresh $50 bill and a stained, worn and dirty $50 bill have the same value regardless of the condition you find them in. The condition, the appearance, the mileage on a bill does not change its intrinsic value. Not one penny.
It has become a constant source of amazement to me how this reality holds true in so much of life.
It can apply to people we meet everyday. We place value on people reflective of our opinions, our perceptions, the apparent success or failure in a life, the mileage that is showing, how agreeable they are with our views on life, so many things … yet none of that is relevant. The intrinsic value does not change. Each life is precious, beneath what we see, and full of wonder. As true as this is and as awakening as it is to know this, there is an even deeper application of the truth of intrinsic value.
This moment, right now, can contain anything: Joy, happiness, pleasure, wonder, amazement, peace, wisdom, beauty, sadness, pain, grief, loneliness, despair, confusion, disappointment, fear, frustration, boredom, disinterest, the list goes on and on …
We again place value on the moment based on our perspective. Our opinions, desires, expectations, perceptions, hopes and dreams all overlay a coloring of ‘value’ on the moment we are in. “How are you today?” is a common question that sparks the process of evaluation and judgement on the moment. Whether we answer, “Fine” or “Terminal” depends not on the intrinsic value of the moment but rather on our thinking. We empower our attachment to arbitrary standards that actually do nothing to define the intrinsic value of the moment.
Whether the day contains sunshine or rain does not make it a good or bad day. If we want sunshine or rain is what will sway our conclusions. Yet it matters little if we are happy with the moment, the moment will be filled with wonder and beauty and potential regardless. We go through life creating our own suffering. We struggle, judge, resist and play God trying to work our will and bringing judgement down on all that oppose it when a simpler, peaceful path is open to us.
It’s called letting go. Letting be. The moment we stand in is a gift we did not earn. We do not own it. We do not control it and our influence is small indeed. What would happen if we were simply open to it? What if we accepted the intrinsic value of the gift with gratitude? It is easy to be grateful for a moment of sunshine. Less easy for a moment of storm and turmoil. But what if we were just grateful for the moment? Let go of attachments to selfish agendas and see what value can be found in a moment of being. Accept the gift even if it does not seem fresh and crisp. The value is there … regardless.
As We Awaken 