“Our lives become beautiful not because we are perfect. Our lives become beautiful because we put our heart into whatever we do.” – Sadhguru
It is only with the feeling of conscious will, that we can begin to solve the problems of knowing who we are as individuals, of discerning what we can and cannot do, and of judging ourselves morally right or wrong for what we have done.
It seems the norm these days to be on anti-depressants and I am referring to normal mentally healthy people who are on them. Pill popping in general seems acceptable mainly by people who believe that life’s inevitable curve balls – grief, relationship breakdowns, job anxiety, exams – require some type of suppressant that can dull the pressures and the burdens of normal life.
The ripple effects reach deep into our community because anxiety is our most common mental illness, affecting about two million Australians every year and forty million Americans.
“The Giver” a movie released recently, shows a future where everyone receives a daily dose of anti-depressants in the mistaken belief that keeping everyone “emotion-less” will create the Utopia we all seek; clearly this is not the answer.
No wonder we get confused and envious in life when we see people who seem to have it all, a brilliant career, wonderful relationships, angelic children, perfect home and body, only to find out they are suppressing every emotion they have, just to keep the “perfect illusion” alive.
Balancing our life and saying no to the pressures of society isn’t easy to do and if we do not show this difficulty to our children and show them that life is emotional, sometimes burdened with grief, pain and sickness, then we may be teaching them that showing these healthy emotions is wrong, and this can leave them feeling extremely anxious.
Practising disciplines that give us balance in life and help us work through the ups and downs and curve balls we are given, gives us strength, courage and the wisdom to know what to do next.
There are no easy roads in life and yet, when we live our truth and work hard towards our life goals, we will find contentment and happiness because we are living from our heart.
In living fully, we will at times experience anger, frustration, fear and pain, but working through these emotions will then allow us to have joy, peace, hope and understanding and this isn’t something any of us should suppress.
LIVING IN THIS MOMENT 
I agree Karen It would be nice to find a perfect balance. With a history of bipolar, depression and anxiety in my family I now understand we need both science and nature to sustain us sometimes. No one has the perfect life and some have it even harder than others. Every single being matters. What is important is the fact we are all individuals and different things work for different people. Happy day to you.
Thanks Kath, It is difficult when you have a genetic history against you, and I agree science and medicine are great gifts to help balance this. Your comment is appreciated and when we realise there is no “perfect” maybe we can start enjoying the gift of life.
Karen
Very true there is no perfect, thank the heavens for that. It would be a very boring place wouldn’t it Karen?
Yes it would Kath, Im glad we are all so different!
Karen, I just love reading your words of wisdom every time they pop into my Inbox! I will often pass them onto the kids to read as well, which I will be doing with this one! What a special gift of writing you have discovered on your journey! Have a beautiful day! Xxx Cath
Thankyou Cath, you are very kind to say this! Thankyou for passing it on as well, I appreciate your encouragement.
Agreed Karen! How can we recognize joy, if we don’t experience sorrow? How can we learn patience, if there is no adversity? I could list hundreds of these questions…thanks for writing this wonderful post.
Diana
That is exactly right Diana, we often don’t want to walk through the difficult parts of life but with it comes our experience of love and joy and this is why it is worth every effort.
Karen
Yes. I am fond of saying to my clients that Perfection is not an Option. A book that addresses this from a variety of sources that really resonate with me is The Spirituality of Imperfection, by Kurtz and Ketcham http://www.amazon.com/The-Spirituality-Imperfection-Storytelling-Meaning/dp/0553371320. Best, Sonnische.
Thankyou, I will look into getting that book, I love reading new insights.
Karen
I sometimes tend to be excessively “perfectionist”… it’s a mistake, because perfection is an illusion – what does mean perfection? maybe, everything is fine / or “perfect”… and we just have to accept and rejoice… as said in a previous comment “How can we recognize joy, if we don’t experience sorrow? How can we learn patience, if there is no adversity”.. very true! Thank you for this thoughtful post Karen ♥
Yes Frederic, its very easy to be a “perfectionist” in this world, even though we never get there! Thankyou for your thoughts on this post, you are appreciated.
Karen
I’ve been thinking quite a bit how the idea of ‘better life through chemistry’ seems to have taken over in both physical and mental health… It seems almost to a point where it becomes another crutch and thus another problem to face (and perhaps resolve) down the road.
While not an expert in any sense of the word, I do think the answer lie within, and enjoyed one of your earlier comments “we can begin to solve the problems of knowing who we are as individuals” as perhaps the only path we need to be sure to take.
Thankyou for your comment and visit to my blog. It is a difficult subject to discuss at times, because there are people who really need these drugs to help balance their life and some who simply take them to avoid life. When we can accept and love ourselves completely (havent done that myself yet ha!) then perhaps we can all start to accept one another with patience and love and appreciate how much we have already.
Karen
That is perfectly said… Those who seek balance are of active minds to find that happiness (and pharmaceuticals can help so much), because it is only when we accept and love ourselves can the healing really begin. Take care ~ enjoy your week!
Thankyou you too.
Great post Karen!
May we all become more skilled at riding the highs and lows of life, rather than escaping from life and seeking an illusion 🙂
Val x
Thankyou Val, yes one ride at a time!
Karen
Karen, A very good take on a pertinent topic of our day.
There is value in suffering. Through pain one discovers a proof of love. Those who are constantly anesthetized will never know that truth.
-Alan
Life can be messy, but I do believe that ‘God doesn’t give you anything you can’t handle.’ Dulling the lows also dulls the highs. Some folks really do need antidepressants, but it is not for the day to day, run of the mill average life. Life’s challenges provide ‘texture’ to being human, the broad spectrum of emotions from high to low. Being present with whatever is going on at the moment and acknowledging it paves the path to embracing the full tapestry called life.
Thankyou and I agreee Eliza, some people do need to be on anti-depressants but unfortunately I know of many doctors who prescribe it too easily. “Life’s challenges provide “texture” to being human” that is very true and perhaps those of us who were given courage and understanding to know this in life, can continue to support and encourage others to live differently.
Karen
Yes, thank you for this posting because it is all about living from the heart and those we think might “have it all” typically are missing the very essence of life, not always, but often. We need to simply tend to ourselves and not envy what we think others have, for it is all to often not as “perfect” as we think it is. 🙂 Nice writing to remind us of the very thing called balance.
Thankyou for your comment. Finding balance and knowing we already have so much in life is exactly what we need to do.
Karen
Fantastic post. I appreciate the invitation to lean in even further to living a life of heart. Thank you.
Thankyou Vicki, I appreciate such a great comment!
Karen