The End Serves a Great Purpose in Our Lives

New beginnings are often distinguished as painful endings. - Lao Tzu

WRITEntangled Note: This is the second entry in the Quotessentials Series, where I take Quotes from literary arts, movies, shows, etc. and analyze them for a practical take on life. This entry takes on one of my favorite Eastern philosophers in Lao Tzu. Take a moment to breathe, reflect, and enjoy.

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When you think of the phrase "The End" what comes to mind? What emotions are you filled with? Does it fill you with joy knowing that you had a chance to gain experience and embrace the highs and lows of the journey?

Or are you fearful of it, because you've struggled or made countless mistakes and the end means you failed?

The End Serves a Great Purpose

The End comes in many forms. It can mean a significant part of your life wrapping up, like retiring from the military under honorable conditions. It can also come in the form of a relationship ending abruptly through an argument or through distance. What Lao Tzu tells us here is that we need to embrace what is finished, and see it as a chance to start something new.

We must understand that the End Serves a Great Purpose; to clear the path for New Beginnings.

The same applies to Life and Death. We fear Death because we are never prepared for it. It comes and claims someone or something that holds value in our lives. We realize that time is something we can never control and it terrifies us. There's never enough money to prolong the inevitable, yet we try so hard to test our biological limits. But time will always win the race at a walking pace...minute by minute...second by second. Death enables transition, transcendence, and transformation. When looking at it that way, is that so scary to fathom?

Think about it in terms of Life. In an instant we are conceived with intercourse or medical insertion. Sure, it takes nine months to cultivate and grow, but that is because of the biological limitation to carry without causing complications to the carrier. Conceiving is but a small portion of Life...and so is Death, no matter how long it takes. This is part of the balance we can never escape. So why not be grateful for it?

We must always be Grateful

When something comes to an end, we should take the time to be grateful. Maybe not so much for the outcome, but for the journey itself. To be here, in the present moment. To experience it. To learn from it and to grow from it. At first, being grateful from an adverse event can be difficult. You may not be able to make sense of having gratitude at first because it hurts so much. But with the understanding that nothing lasts forever, including the seasons in nature, it can ease the burden of regret, agony, and depression.

A Painful Personal Reminder of this Lesson

An ending that was difficult for me was getting separated not once, not twice, but three times from my Wife. It was a difficult thing to accept because I felt entitled to love and so I clung on to it. 

I fought for it.

But what I didn't realize at first was, that was one of my issues.

I didn't take time to grieve and grow.

I didn't take time to reintegrate myself with my innermost self. 

I'd forgotten who I was, my talents and abilities, and what I wanted to do for myself.

'Losing' the relationship for a time was indeed a new beginning for me, and one I took years to accept and be grateful for.

Here I sit today better for it, writing and sharing my vernacular voice with the world. 

If you are reading this, struggling to come to grips with something precious coming to an end, know that healing will take time. It will take time to let reality sink in and for you to fit yourself back into it.

You will need to co-create a new reality.

Everything in nature has an ending, we humans are no different.

But, with something ending, or something lost, we are open to receive newness and abundance through our thoughts and experiences.

Take time to heal by doing. Do what makes you happy and fills you with completeness. Don't let anything or anyone stand in your way.

For those of you whose ending is a victory, congratulations! You've accomplished something wonderful. But do not get too comfortable with your titles and accolades.

Soon after your announcement to the world of your victory, challenges will arise to thwart, test, and mold you. You've made it this far right? Whats another problem to solve 😜.

So what are your thoughts on endings? Let me know in the comments! Until next time.

Lets stay #WRITEntangled