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Tragedies and Appreciation
Tragedies help us better appreciate what we have. I was watching The Good Liar, which I recommend by the way, and it struck me that losing family members to war or sickness was still common in the not too distant past.
It made me think that although my dad has died and other family members are terminally ill, if I were to be alive about 100 years ago, or even more recent, then that wouldn’t have been too much of a special thing. And perhaps more importantly, people just got on with their lives.
Don’t get me wrong, I try not to let my situation interfere with my life anyway, but this realisation has helped me better come to terms with things, which has made it easier to not dwell on bad thoughts when they come up. In turn, I think I’m better able to appreciate some things that others aren’t, and that appreciation leads to a fuller life.
My practical suggestions from this are two-fold. There’s an exercise in stoicism where you imagine your life without certain loved ones to increase your appreciation of their existence. It might be worth giving that a try. Second, know that even if a tragedy were to occur, it helps you better appreciate what you do have, and I think knowing this will make the recovery process that much easier.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hi, I’m Tim Bunting AKA the Kiwi Yamabushi, a New Zealander who became a Yamabushi Ascetic in the Dewa Sanzan mountains of north Japan. I’m part of the Yamabushido team, and we host life-altering Yamabushi training on the Dewa Sanzan (website link). People come to us for the ultimate mindfulness experience, to reach the next level, or simply connect with nature and themselves.
I’m on a mission to summit all 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata Prefecture to spread the splendour of this fabulous location, and in dedication to all those who lost their lives out in nature, including my father.
On my daily blog I post thoughts of a practicing Yamabushi that I hope people can use to better themselves and live as fulfilling a life as possible.
Sign up to the weekly Mountains of Wisdom newsletter, follow me on social (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, Clubhouse, all @kiwiyamabushi), or send me an email via the link below to stay in touch.
Tim.
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