disappointment
Maybe people have the idea that spirituality is this extraordinary thing: on one side over here is my life as I live it day-to-day, being upset at how my boss treats me or feeling uncertain about the future, all the little ups and downs; on the other side is this thing you want to call religion or spirituality or enlightenment, the pursuit of something greater or higher or better than what we currently possess. Actually there’s nothing more boring, more ordinary than enlightenment--in fact it is sheer boredom. There is nothing more “spiritual” than being bored out of our minds, nothing more “religious” than the anxiety of having to get through another day. We just want to be entertained, we want to have mystical experiences, special signs from God, or else we just want things to fall into place in a way that suits us and leaves us coming out on top. Instead we are continually disappointed. In reality life or spirituality is extremely insulting, it involves insult after insult, disappointment after disappointment. We constantly are faced with things we don’t want or don’t like, and it’s both difficult and painful to confront. I’m afraid there’s no way around it.