Daodejing, Verse 74

Daodejing - Other Voices

Let It Be
When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
--The Beatles, From the song "Let it Be"

Hi and welcome back to “A Dare a Day”! Today as I was working out in the gym, I was listening to a particularly powerful episode of Dr. Wayne Dyer’s podcast, “The Power of Intention” (Hay House radio). I’ve rarely listened to one of Dr. Dyer’s podcasts that has failed to move me in some way but this episode was notably powerful. During the show, a woman called in to ask Dr. Dyer’s input regarding a situation she was dealing with in which her sister was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was given only six weeks to live. The caller sounded as if she was looking for a little bit of assurance from Dr. Dyer that her sister would be okay.

In a very sensitive manner, Dr. Dyer was able to convey to the caller that whatever the outcome, the situation was going to be okay. By “okay”, I do not mean that he implied she was not going to pass on but rather, that the situation would unfold just as it was supposed to unfold. As I listened to the caller respond, I could sense that on a cerebral level, she understood what he was saying but of course, she did not want her sister to die. I think most of us have experienced the death of someone close to us and can certainly understand how she was feeling.

During their conversation, he quoted the Beatles song “Let it be” and explained that so many times, we let our egos tell us that things shouldn’t be a certain way. How many times have you heard someone say (or even said yourself), s/he was too young to die? I know I have. In 1999, my stepfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was given six months to live. He was married to my mother for 20 years so he was certainly a very big part of our family and we were all devastated with his diagnoses and prognosis to say the least. With a lot of prayer and support, he was with us until 2007 when he passed on at the age of 59.

Loss is never an easy thing to deal with, but the nature of the physical world that we are in is change. Verse 74 of the Tao Te Ching (Lao-Tzu) states, “If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to.” That is truly a liberating statement if you can accept it on a deeper level. I say “deeper level” because I think most people would understand that on a cerebral level but it can be so difficult to practice.

Even in everyday situations, we can find ourselves saying, “S/he should not have treated me that way” or “I shouldn’t have to wait in this long line.” Why should it NOT be that way? These types of statements are perfect examples of our egos telling us that WE should be the ones in charge at all times. If we buy into this thinking, we are setting ourselves up for a lifetime of misery. One of my favorite prayers is the Serenity prayer because it speaks to this point. I’m sure most of you are familiar with it but I will quote it here anyway. It says, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. “

This, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful ways one can hope to live. Being completely accepting of those things we cannot change gives us time to focus on the finding the courage to change the things we can...
~ from A Dare a Day, author Vickie, original post date: 2/21/09 ~

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.