All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage.
Dh1 verse 1. trans. F. Max Muller.
Can we be unhappy anywhere? Can we be happy anywhere? I believe we can. Sometimes we can deal with the difficulties in life with grace and nobility. I’ve known people deal with loss, infirmity and death with amazing capacity. Then again, I seen people fall apart. I’ve fallen apart. Sometimes we deal with trivial concerns with irritability, ill grace and a lack of proportion. Minor concerns dominate us and we can think of nothing else. The thoughts circle and circle around and refuse to dissipate. They dominate and colour our view of the world.
If we are lucky or take the time to work with them, then we can recognise them for what they are. They are just thoughts and they are not real. They do not reflect the real world. We act like they are real and expect other people see them. But other people never seem to aware of our thoughts, no matter how much we act like they do. Other people are too busy with their own thoughts that are real for them. Nobel thoughts, angry thoughts, shameful thoughts, all colours of thoughts swirl round us all and follow us like the foot of the ox that draws the carriage.
My trivial concerns feel like it’s me at my worst. I worry about what others think, what others have and deeply wish that others would stop doing things that drive me crazy. Then I recognise the thoughts for what they are and feel ashamed. But, I think there is something deeply human about our trivial concerns, just as there is something majestic about people who deal with profound difficulties with incredible grace. They are both aspects and expressions of our humanity. We are only human and this is our humanity.