We get so bogged down in the day-to-day dramas of life that we often don't appreciate the hidden order in our lives and the universe at large.
The ancient Greeks spoke of the logos, the divinity that orders everything in the universe. The logos represented the field of intelligence, the source of all existence; it's a mystical concept.
From the logos, everything else flows: theology, cosmology, physics, chemistry, mathematics. So from the one, we have the many. While we focus on the separated parts, everything in the universe is ultimately in order. Still, we don't tend to see it that way.
In our lives, we focus on disparate issues and emotions. The great discovery in life is that time, praise, and reprimand are in balance. When somebody's praising you, then someone else is reprimanding you at the same time. When somebody's being nice, somebody is being mean to you.
If you expect to have one side in your life without the other, that's like envisioning a one-sided magnet. It doesn't exist. Life is like a magnet. Trying to get one side without the other can be frustrating and futile. If you finally embrace both sides, you realize you have a gift.
Most people are going around thinking they can obtain perfection in their lives. Nobody is perfect yet. You'll be disappointed if you keep having a one-sided life and thinking that's perfection. It's interesting looking at the biographies of people we consider successful. Often, we find that their lives are filled with comedy and tragedy.
There are many examples. Take one of the most famous people in television history, Johnny Carson, a staple of American late-night TV. He dominated for 30 years, and his Tonight Show totalled more than 6300 episodes. By any measure, he was successful; he had intelligence, comedic timing, was an astronomy enthusiast, magician, and ventriloquist; overall, he was very talented. However, there was a darker side to Carson.
As Henry Bushkin stated, "He could also be temperamental, insecure, and prone to drinking and womanizing. Johnny is the second-unhappiest person I've ever known." Carson endured four marriages, and his heavy smoking ultimately led to his death. Carson's story is not unusual in the entertainment industry or with people who lead successful lives in business.
If you scan your life, you will find times of happiness and success; at other times, there will be sadness and a feeling of failure.
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