Change Is Dynamic Accept It With Humbleness
The Japanese concept of acceptance inspires me
Change in our lives
Change is very fast. It moves the world in a dizzy direction and sometimes you cannot handle the change because it is so fast.
Today you are bouncing with energy, but another time you are lifeless because you are grappling with a problem. You are unable to think.
You may end up having a relationship problem. You may have gone to the market and you fall and break a bone in your foot. You may be promoted and you get the news when you are attending a funeral and you are unable to react.
In this fast technological world, technology changes so fast that you are unable to grapple with it.
Changes will keep on happening, but we must learn to accept this change good or bad, and welcome it with humbleness.
We must remember that when a change happens it is a circumstance that we have to deal with. We cannot change it from our end. It has already occurred in our lives. We have to deal with it.
You can either challenge it and fight it by grappling with it or accept it. These are the only two conditions available before you.
You can make changes in your life if it is in your hands but very often things cannot be changed. They can only be accepted by you.
Yesterday a friend called me and said that she was very keen to meet me but she has to change our coffee meeting because she had gone to the sports club a day earlier and had fallen. She ended up with a fracture in her foot and has a plaster on and cannot walk.
This was a changed circumstance in her life. None of us expected this to happen. However, it has happened.
Who knew that this situation will arise? Now how to deal with it?
She can deal with the situation by accepting her condition or by crying over it.
I am very influenced by Japanese philosophy. In fact, it is an inspiration. Ever since I read and practices Ikigai, I felt that it has a lot of truth in it that you should keep yourself busy and work hard. You should also engage in community work.
I now read another philosophy that the Japanese follow. They believe in the philosophy called ‘Uketamo’
Humble acceptance of situations
There are two concepts acceptance and humble acceptance. Acceptance can be a situation or an agreement or a contract that a person accepts.
I first came to know about Uketamo when a history professor was retiring. Although all his friends advised him to accept the fact of retirement. He was just not able to do so.
He thought he had become useless and now nobody will ask about him and his wellbeing. No one will visit him and he will lose all his friends.
He could not grapple with the situation or go with the flow of life.
On the day, when he was given a farewell, on the way to his home, he had a heart attack and died.
A philosophy professor then told us about Uketamo and I began to believe in this philosophy.
Uketamo believes in The core philosophy which means I humbly accept with an open heart.
The philosophy believes in humbleness when accepting things in life. A change has happened and you can do nothing about the change. You can accept it limply or accept it with an open heart very humbly.
The sooner you accept the good and bad things in your life, the faster will you be able to let go and feel light in your system.
Yamabushi are Japanese mountain ascetic hermits. They are part of the syncretic shugendō religion, including Tantric Buddhist, Shinto, and Japanese Taoist elements.
Yamabushi’s felt that the sooner you accept your circumstances you will find freedom and openness and the path to grow in your life.
The philosophy states that if you try to fight the system and resist it you will become weaker and you will not find peace. However, if you accept it with open arms and with humbleness, then you will go with the flow of life. You will find peace. You will be calm and strong.
So the philosophy strongly recommends that you accept the change with humbleness and open arms and relax to the change that has occurred. You have no control over it.
Attuned to the Japanese philosophy Reinhold Niebuhr has made a serenity prayer in the modern day
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference, living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; taking this world as it is and not as I would have it”
Takeaways
- Always go with the flow of life and accept things that are out of your control and cannot change.
- Yokotamo Japanese philosophy teaches tolerance and acceptance with humbleness. Mere acceptance is not enough, humbleness is a must.
- If change is not acceptable then you are going against the flow of life and you will not find peace and calm in your life.
- Change is dynamic, it is inevitable, do not be afraid of it but embrace it with an open heart.
To wrap up
Life goes through many changes. Accept it with humbleness, and within the circumstances learn to find inspiration and motivation to carry on your life. Be humble and accept your situation. Open your heart.
I strongly believe in Uketamo. It has given me a lot of peace and calm. I wish the same for you. Change may not be in our hands but acceptance with humbleness can be practiced.
Go with the flow of life and enjoy the peace and calm it gives you in your life..
I would now like to mention two posts that I read
©Dr. Preeti Singh, 2022.
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