Hurry up and wait, is the common saying you'll hear, usually when we're in a hurry, trying to meet a deadline,but have to wait in a line-up some where. This saying describes the frustration and impatience we can feel when we're caught up in some kind of bureaucratic red tape, or stuck in a traffic jam. We do everything needed to meet our end, but other circumstances dictate the outcome and there isn't much we can do about it..
Hurry up and wait is a contradiction of terms for sure, and The Hanged Man can also seem the same, if we don't see the deeper relevance in our lives. On one hand, it looks to be a card of shear agonizing suffering, though the look on Prometheus' face is serene and peaceful. He is not fighting his situation and has surrendered to the circumstance he's in. He's hanging upside down in the blistering sun, not to mention an eagle is about to eat his liver! Ack!
Prometheus, according to Greek myth, made all the earth out of his own tears, having a deep sympathy for all humankind and has to accept that he must wait in darkness. His sacrifice is for the greater good, trusting in the unseen mystery, in hope of a new and better life for everyone.
At some point in we all make sacrifices, whether we want to or not. Some are self-imposed, others voluntary, and some are born out of circumstances beyond our control. We are often abruptly stopped in our tracks, are forced to slow down, and are perhaps we're not aware until later, that we have been given the gift and opportunity to take stock of our lives and to take inventory of ourselves.
We now have an opportunity to slow down and really smell the roses, notice little things we never took notice or have taken for granted. We can now see the beauty or even accept the ugly things we can't change.
2 comments:
A great reminder to slow down. I am often in hurry and mostly it isn't even necessary. Why? to get things done quickly in order to be ready; to have more free time. But in the mean time I am not present in the here and now but reaching for a future moment which is never what I thought it would be.
I'm often the same way Ellen and I certainly identify. I was a kid who had problem concentrating, and was quickly board. I still will always be doing two maybe three things simultaneously, which often has resulted in an overflowing kitchen sink!
I always wanted everything to happen yesterday. Strangely now, most times when I'm feel myself going into a panic everything seems to be in slow mo'.
It's something I have had to really work at over the years and still easily find myself in a kerfuffle if I don't consciously try to slow myself down and think, think think!
I don't think patience is something that comes natural to most people, that's why they call it a virtue.
Post a Comment