Tigers Above, Tigers Below Pt. II

I hope you’ve had some meaningful introspection from the story of tigers above, tigers below last week.  (If you missed it, click here).

Here are some of my insights from the story…

Focus on problems, get more problems:  The story starts with the woman running from a problem, tigers.  No sooner does she think she’s escaped, then more tigers (problems) arise.  Then, the mouse (problem).  The more focused we are problems, the more we will see and experience problems.  Where attention goes, energy flows.  Seek and ye shall find.  Look for problems and you’ll get plenty.

You can run, but you can’t hide:  It begins with her running from a problem, rather than addressing the problem.  She runs right into the same problem again.  Of course, once the mouse enters the picture, it becomes clear that she won’t be able to avoid the problem much longer.  Much the same for us, if we ignore, rather than address an issue, whether in the physical world or our internal world, we will continue to run into it until we do.  If we avoid it long enough, eventually, we’ll be forced to face the issue.  So, it is much wiser idea to address the issue right away.  Furthermore, the longer we wait the fewer options we have.  She could have addressed the issue any number of ways before climbing down the vine, but her refusal to deal with the issue right away, severely limited her options.

Tigers, or paper tigers?:  How often are the “tigers” we face really tigers at all?  How often are they actually paper tigers that we have no reason to fear, but our refusal to look them in the face makes them seem so real and threatening?  Was she running from actual tigers or imagined tigers?  

There is always good to be had:  In the midst of it all, she saw the strawberry and decided to enjoy it.  The tigers didn’t stop her, the mouse didn’t stop her.  There was joy to be had, rich experience, good, just waiting for her right in the midst of a seemingly impossible situation.  She could have ignored it and continued to focus on her problems, but chose not to.  For us, there is always a growth opportunity in every experience, always a way to be benefited, no matter what the circumstance.  Now, it was a strawberry, not a raspberry.  Think about the difference between the two.  Both are juicy and flavorful.  But the strawberry is so much bigger than the plant that grows it.  It is easy to pick, easy to enjoy.  The good that is available to us in all situations is not thorny.  We don’t have to be careful when accepting it so at to not get hurt.  

Let's go a step further.  The story doesn’t say, “she ate the strawberry as the mouse chewed through the vine causing her to crash to a brutal and violent death.”  What happens when she picks the strawberry?  She focuses on the good and the tigers, the vine, the mouse, everythings else is gone.  Think back to when you read the story.  Did you completely forget about everything else in the story with its last line?  I sure did.  Going back to the top - focus on problems and get more problems.  Focus on good and problems melt away.

Of course, these are all very high-minded ideals.  In practical application, it can be really hard to find the good in certain situations, let alone focus on it.  And yet, stories like these and contemplation of the deeper meanings behind them help to open us to what is possible.  So, I encourage you to take another look at the story.  Spend some more time in contemplation and, like the strawberry, thoroughly enjoy it!