The Secret (My Belief)

The answer lies in happiness. It lies in being content.

Simplicity. Joy and wonder.

There is nothing complicated about it.

We need not be smart.

We need not be frugal.

We need not be anything that tells us we have a step above anyone else.

We just are. And we aren't.

Happiness is the purpose. A word leaving much to be interpreted.

Ecstacy? Laughter? Escape from pain? What does happiness mean?

Is it the absence of any negative feeling?

Or perhaps the realization that feelings are just that. A thing.

Does knowing this truth bring us happiness?

Is this knowing what it means to be Enlightened?

I think yes.

I think asking ourselves about the fears we cling to. The fears that we allow.

The feelings we allow to take control so willingly and causes us pain.

Asking ourselves requires taking one step out of the circle.

Much like an outsider's view of a family fight.

An outsider is objective, separate, neutral, and has no conflicts of interest.

That is our secret.

We can become the objective outsider to our own fears, thoughts, and emotions.

And with this statement swells feelings of freedom the likes of which we have never felt.

And with this realization, the smile of pure happiness springs forth. And the body smiles.

This is my belief.

My God created me, the soul that inhabits this body and has this mind and these thoughts.

These thoughts, feelings, and choices are not part of my soul, but part of this world, as my ego.

And I will rise above them and passed them during birth and death.

And the freedom that is present is that I have the choice to live this worldly life in any way I choose, free from the pain of fear.

I will do my best to raise my son with a pure and peaceful heart.

Teaching him the lessons of the soul. Reminding him of the shine that glows within him regardless of his choices.

And I feel earthly joy when I watch him live.

I need not separate myself from my feelings.

For they are no more a bad thing than an infant crying for milk or an addict craving his drug.

These things just are. A beautiful existence.

And the soul at peace will see them as they are. Experiences to be loved, shown compassion,

And nurtured toward Enlightenment.

Is this not the teaching of our God? Is this not the teaching of Jesus? To love?

I believe so.

I do not agree that we inherently evil, sinful, or flawed.

"We" is so much bigger than our current view of "we". And the soul is never flawed, sinful, or evil.

We are of God.

Our earthly forms (body and ego) are challenged, for in this world we must have hope for the body to survive. And to have hope means to have fear. To have fear means to have pain.

We cannot escape it, but we can step outside of the circle and see it for what it is. A necessary part of this life.

But nothing, absolutely nothing can dampen the light of the soul.

And holding to this realization will provide the secret to happiness on Earth.