The Lesson of the Lotus: Happy Despite…

The lotus begins in the mud, grows through the pond’s muddy water, and breaks the surface to produce a clean and beautiful flower. It grows beautiful despite its surroundings, despite its muddy beginnings. One of the most beautiful Buddhist symbols, the lotus represents a way to approach our lives. Like the lotus, we can rise above our environment to find peace and happiness.

We lead messy lives. We struggle with money, we have pressures at work, our kids need to be taken to soccer, we want to paint the house but don’t have time, we want to go back to school, we want a better job, we would like to find the perfect mate, our family upbringing was painful, and we’ve been hurt relationships. The list goes on and on. Despite our struggles, we can still live pretty good lives. And we can do it by being like the lotus.

Our situation in life doesn’t create our happiness; our reaction to it does. As Barry Neil Kaufman, author of Happiness is a Choice, says, “How we look at our life determines our experience.” Our beliefs create and shape our thoughts, which create our actions. The results of our actions feed back into our beliefs and thoughts creating a circle of happiness or unhappiness. From the lotus we learn that we can control our response and choose to be happy despite the negatives in our environment.

We don’t have to be Buddhists to appreciate the beauty of the lotus’ symbolism, any more than we have to be Christian to appreciate the beauty of “Love your enemy” or “Thou shalt not kill.” Wisdom is all around us, if we stay open to it – whatever the source.

Today, or even for the next hour, follow the lesson of the lotus. Be happy despite. Despite what? Despite anything.

Make a great day.

Photo: joka2000