From the wisdom of Sri Swami Satchidananda…from his book “The Golden Present“
“Life must be a challenge. Only then is it exciting. In an obstacle race, you are forced to surmount all of the obstacles; to jump over the hurdles, go through the barrels, crawl under rugs, climb over walls.
“What would happen if, to avoid all that, you went around all the obstacles and asked for the winner’s cup? Would they give it to you? No. They would say, ‘You must go back and face all the obstacles.’
“‘Why?’ you might ask. ‘If you are interested in giving me the cup, just give it.’
“‘Sorry, You have to prove that you deserve it, that you worked for it.’
“Life is also a game, and we are proving ourselves. The challenge itself is joyous. If your life is always smooth, when you have great grandchildren you won’t be able to sit back and tell them about all the adventures you had.”
This is why I am a big fan of obstacle course racing in my life. Not because I am some great athlete, but because it reminds me that life is an obstacle course, and that the point of life is not to get to the finish line without any bumps or scrapes, it is to experience the course. Obstacles make you stronger. So get dirty, scrape a knee or two, and know you are improving.
David
