In my eBook, The Tao of Jesus, I wrote, “When we find our life and live it, everything falls into place around that. To do it, to find our life and live it, we follow the pattern of all the heroes on all of the journeys throughout time. In doing that we have to put desire, fear and duty in their place, and live beyond them, beyond desire, fear and duty. Which is to say without desire, fear and duty, in order to find our life and live it.
This is to say that we have to simply give ourselves to the work of doing the things that need to be done no matter what–no matter what it means for us personally, or for those we love.
Which snaps us bak to Jesus and his declaration about austerity: “Those who would follow me have to leave father and mother, brothers and sisters, and take up their cross daily in finding their life and living it.”
This is asking all would be followers of Jesus, “Do you have what it takes to stick with it? To do what is required of us, asked of us, in each situation as it arises? Day in and day out? Whether we feel like it or not, want to or not, are in the mood for it or not? For not other reason than because this is what is ours to do, and go go on doing, throughout the time left for living, no matter what?”
“No matter what?” means we have to find our life and anchor ourselves to it with an adamantine declaration of allegiance and fidelity that puts liege loyalty and filial devotion to shame.
This is what all of those old love stories are about. They aren’t about boy and girl finding each other and swearing their troth to one another forever. They are about men and women finding their life–their life together and their individual lives apart–and doing living together in ways that enhance their ability to be who they need to be through all of the situations and circumstances that arise in their lifetime, together and apart.
It is not about finding the right person meant for them, but about finding the right life for them, the life they are meant to be living, together as a couple, and apart as individuals, through all their years of being married.
Can each person find the life partner who will aid and assist them in living their own life? This is the question at the heart of all of the boy/girl, boy/boy, girl/girl stories. Can we be good for each other in bringing the other forth and helping the other live their life to the fullest possible extend in the time left for living?”
Find the person who can join you in creating this kind of mutual environment, and stick with them throughout eternity! We are here for the life that is ours to live! And for helping on another find and live the life that is theirs to live! And nothing can knock us off our mission!
We have to learn how to read the signs, to know what the symbols refer to–the symbols that catch our attention eye, that speak to us. We have to know what they are saying. Our task is to learn how to live symbolically, metaphorically! In doing what is ours to do and in being who we know ourselves to be throughout the way that is The Way.
Jim Dollar's Photography and Philosophy 