Two monks meet a darling little girl who needs to cross a stream to get to her father. She asked if one of the monks would help her by carrying her across. Having taken strict vows of personal sacrifice from worldly pleasures, one of them being  to not touch women ever – they profusly appologized to the little girl stating they could not help her.

But the little one would not relent.

Her father is sick and old and needs her home for it is getting late. What is she to do? After much pleading  one of the monks gives in and carries the little girl accorss (much to the discontent of the other monk).

Afterwards the two monks journied on their way with one monk frustrated to no end at the event that just occured. As they walked his frustration built and built till he could not take it anymore:

“WHY DID YOU BREAK OUR VOWS! WHY DID YOU CARRY THAT GIRL WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER!”

He asked quite angrily.

The other monk calmly replied, I only carried her accross the river, YOU’VE been carrying her all day.

HOW TO BE RESPONSIBLE

What is the reward for carrying around frustration and anger about events of the past? What pain do you still hold from the past?

If you can not be at peace with what has happened to you then you have yet to take responsibility for the events themselves and your reactionairy response to them. You are not being responsible because any lingering resentment is really just a desire to lay blame on yourself or someone else.

Life is friction

You are going to get hurt, but you need scars for they are the marks of a life properly lived. Forgetting the past is not always an option. Not if you’ve sufferd real cruelty – but forgiveness is a path to salvation. A salvation that will allow you to get on with things.

This is something I still sometimes wrestle with. The higher self, the better part of me seeing things in their grand scheme, and the animal side of me wanting to lash out. If finding justice for the burden you have been dealt is more important than peace and happiness, then don’t be responsible for the past. Lay blame elsewhere for it gives the illusions that you are punishing those who have hurt you.

But to really get on with things and feel better, just let go.