We Want Relief. Cure Is Painful

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Queremos Alivio. La Cura es Dolorosa.
--por Anthony de Mello
“Espiritualidad” significa despertar. La mayoría de las personas están dormidas, pero no lo saben. Nacen dormidas, viven dormidas, se casan dormidas, tienen hijos dormidas, mueren dormidas sin despertarse nunca. Nunca comprenden el encanto y la belleza de esto que llamamos la existencia humana.
Ya sabéis que todos los místicos- Católicos, Cristianos, no Cristianos, no importa cuál sea su teología, no importa su religión- son unánimes sobre una cosa: que todo está bien, todo está bien. Aunque todo sea un desastre, todo está bien. Extraña paradoja, para estar segur@. Pero, trágicamente, la mayoría de la gente nunca llega a ver que todo está bien porque están dormid@s. Están teniendo una pesadilla.
El año pasado en la televisión Española oí una historia sobre un hombre que llama a la puerta de su hijo. “Jaime”, dice, “¡Despierta!” Jaime contesta, “No quiero levantarme, papá.”
El padre grita, “Levántate, tienes que ir al colegio.” Jaime dice, “No quiero ir al colegio.” “¿Porqué?” pregunta el padre. “Tres razones,” dice Jaime Primera, porque es aburrido; segundo, los niños se burlan de mi; y tercero, odio el colegio. Y el padre dice, “Bien, te voy a dar tres razones por las que tienes que ir al colegio. Primero porque es tu obligación; segundo porque tienes cuarenta y cinco años, y tercero, porque tú eres el director.” “¡Despierta!¡Despierta! Ya eres mayor. Eres demasiado mayor para estar dormid@. ¡Despierta! ¡Deja de jugar con tus juguetes!

La mayoría de las personas dicen que quieren abandonar el jardín de infancia, pero no les creáis. ¡No les creáis! Lo único que quieren es remendar sus juguetes rotos: "Devuélveme a mi esposa. Devuélveme mi empleo. Devuélveme mi dinero. Devuélveme mi reputación y mi éxito".Eso es lo que quieren; quieren que les cambien sus juguetes. Eso es todo. Hasta el mejor psicólogo te dirá que la gente realmente no quiere curarse. Lo que quieren es un alivio; una cura es dolorosa.
Despertar es incómodo, ya lo sabes. Es agradable y cómodo estar en la cama. Es irritante estar despiet@. Esta es la razón por la que los gurús sabios no tratan en absoluto de despertarte si estás dormid@. Realmente no es asunto mío, aún así os lo digo a veces, “¡Despertaos! Mi asunto es hacer mis cosas, bailar mi baile. Si sacas beneficio de ello bien, si no, ¡Qué lástima! Como dicen los Árabes, “La naturaleza de la lluvia es la misma, pero hace que crezcan zarzas en los pantanos y flores en los jardines.”


Preguntas semilla par la reflexión: ¿Cómo te relacionas con la noción de que encontramos la cura dolorosa y preferimos alivio temporal en su lugar? ¿Puedes compartir una experiencia de elegir una cura incómoda en vez de un cómodo alivio temporal? ¿Qué le ayuda a se consciente de esta distinción?


Padre Anthony de Mello fue autor de muchos libros, el extracto de arriba ha sido sacado de aquí.
Seed Questions for Reflection

How do you relate to the notion that we find cure painful and prefer temporary relief instead? Can you share an experience of committing to unpleasant cure over comfortable temporary relief? What helps you be aware of this distinction?

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11 Past Reflections
RE
rent_dmma
Sep 18, 2024
How not to screw up when renting a car, for a safe and comfortable trip

EJ
Eric Jeng
Jul 17, 2018

I think the author's assertion that other mystics/religions believe all is well is a bit misleading. As we see in the bible:

"But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes mainfest is light. Therefore He says: 'Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.' " (Ephesians 5:13)

Stay woke :)


VN
Vic Norian
Jul 17, 2018

 Only salvation can be said to cure ~ A Course in Miracles.

SH
Jul 17, 2018

 So true. Even when people get unwell , they only look for a relief rather than a cure.
Relief is immediate but the Cure may be time consuming and may be painful too.
We are only looking for shortcuts rather than the mental or physical discipline required for the cure.
Its almost like saying “  O God , I would love to go heaven buutt can you make someone else die for me”

DM
Jul 16, 2018

 cure is better than relief. 
Relief gives momentary pleasure and infact the truth is we all are really running after it only. cure is permanent, but takes time and is painful. humans have lost the wisdom of identifying the relief and cure, but once a person does so, i m sure, they go into cure zone. 

DD
Jul 14, 2018
 I don't agree with the aulthor that people don't want to be cured.  People do want to be cured.  Cure feels good.  And being cured is passive, and people do want to passively be cured and feel good.  What people don't want is to change, and cure requires change.  Cure can be painful, but not necessarily; temporary relief can be pain free, but not necessarily.  I've done some curing in speaking my truth, which has been change for me.  Relief would have been to keep my truth to myself, which I found out was not a relief at all.  Many times we want relief and cure without change.  In our culture, we often seek relief and cure through drugs, legal and illegal ones.  Drug use is usually an example of seeking relief and cure through an alternative to change.  Alternatives to change at best provide relief, not cure, and the relief is typically temporary and often make matters worse.  Learning such lessons helps me prefer chang... View full comment
AM
Amy Jul 21, 2018

 I agree!  

LE
Leon Jul 23, 2018

 I see it differently my friend.  The author's point as I see it is taht when there is a cure, there is no longer an opportunity for people to have a complaint. While he was citing earlier in that essay the concept of "all is well," that is essentially lost when we get into the details of the problems, the challenges, the drugs and such.  Where is the consideration of "all being well?"  How do we reconcile that regardless of the things that happen (rain), all is well despite the fact that rain brings thorns as well as roses.

I see his point being all is well.  Our human selves add unsavory meaning and flavors to it all.  Rain is neither good or bad, it is simply rain.  We give it a monsterous meaning when there is too much rain and houses float away.  When we wake up to the reality that all is well, we can be comforted by that awareness in that awakeness.

Peace...

JP
Jul 13, 2018
Wake up from your sleep is a message that comes from all spiritual wisdom traditions. My dad used to sing the song of awakening in Hindi every morning reminding him and us to wake up." Utha jaga musafir bhore bhai, aba rayan kahanataka sovat hai. Jo sovat hai vo kohovat hai, jo jagat hai so pavat hai." Wake up O traveler ! Morning has dawned.Wake up! There is no more night. Why do you keep on sleeping? The one who sleeps loses; the one who wakes up gains." This message has helped me through out my life. When I am not awake I fall down. I hurt mtself and others in my life. The falling down is a wake up call for me. I wake up from my sleep state, learn from my mistake and walk on the right path. Life is a journey, a process. It's all about choice making. When I am awake I make wise choices. As I am getting older my awakend state is getting longer with a few occasional short naps. I love the Arabs saying: "The nature of rain is the same, but it makes thorns grow in marshes and flowers in... View full comment
JO
Jo Jul 21, 2018

 Namaste!

MR
Michael Reeves Jan 24, 2022
To be cured requires change. While people want relief from their pain, they are often unwilling to make the necessary changes in order to be cured. They don’t want to give up their “toys” or way of living. It’s uncomfortable to give things up that may bring short term pleasure. To be cured often times means having to give up our destructive but pleasurable habits. So, for some, the sacrifices of giving up short term pleasurable habits, is out of the question. They may give them up short term for “relief”. But, eventually, many if not most of us, Go back to playing with those things that seem to make us happy for the moment but painful for the long term.