Sunday, September 9, 2012
Being Independent


Question: Mom and dad is always busy working, I feel so lonely at home.

Answer:

            You feel lonely at home while your parents are busy working? It’s sure to not feel comfortable being alone at home. But is there a way to solve the problem? If this persists, it may leave unhealthy effects to your health.

            Long ago, there was an old monk who had a young disciple. The young monk always sighed for little things in his life. One day, the old monk asked his disciple to get him a cup of salt. Without knowing the intention of his master, the little monk did as he was told. He was then asked to pour the salt into a glass of water, stir it, and drink it then. The master asked “How was the taste?” The disciple would have answered that it’s salty of course. The master then asked his disciple to pour the same glass of salt water into the lake and try the taste of the lake water. The little monk got amazed and shouted “the lake water is still as fresh and sweet as before!” The master then encouraged: “Your hardship every day is like the salt. Whether to place them in a glass of water or into the lake, it all depends on your decision.”

            Perhaps it is not wrong to describe hardships we go through in life as salt from the story above. If our hearts could be a larger space for everything good or bad, hardships may someday become bitter-sweet to us. To have a happy life, we must first have a huge heart and state of mind. To achieve that, we must train ourselves to see things at different perceptions.

            Back to your question, I believe your parents were busy at work to earn money so that they can provide you a better environment to grow up in. If so, your mission at home is important then. This is because you’re the prince/princess that protects the family. With your love and protection, your parents would feel the warm no matter how tired they are. But how should we protect the family? I believe the first move begins with being a child that does not need to be worried. Learn to plan and prepare your own things and give your best effort in your studies.

            When you feel lonely and moody, try to turn your emotion upside down. There are lots of ways to do that, such as writing, jogging, reading, or simply listening to some music. In addition, thinking rationally encourages you to think towards the positive. Write down a few words of encouragement and paste them on your walls or even your desktop. Train yourself to think, for example: when your father’s busy, think of it as your father’s trust towards you. It is because they trust you that allows you to learn to be independent. Parents could be busy, but somehow they provided you opportunity and space for you to develop yourself. Mix yourself around people who are joyful and carefree. They could give you a positive energy to face your problems.

            It is impossible for us not to have a single negative emotion. It has a meaning for its existence, but we must not allow ourselves to be submerged in it for too long thinking that it should be that way. Mr. Ikeda once encouraged YWD that: “Some people may seem happy, but when they encounter problems they would fall into darkness. Reality may appear to be nothing but darkness to all of us. But if we truly wish to live in peace, we will be needing faith.” Breakthrough our weakest state of being and have the strong heart to face problems in our life. We have Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism as the medicine for our faith, thus we can turn all misfortune into opportunities of life and happiness.


Shared by,
Rainbow.

Translated by,
Happy.

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Written at 11:03 PM by Paper Pilot.