Contentment


44

Contentment.




Lao Tzu poses three questions to the readers. He asks which is the most important to become famous or to be at peace with oneself? He goes on to ask what is more precious to know the self or to have wealth? He then asks one of the most important questions of all, which would cause the most pain, to gain something or to lose something?

What is being referred to is just what is it that we are attached to and what is it that brings us a true sense of joy and happiness. The more attached we become to things the greater the danger we face of finding ourselves feeling miserable in the long term.

The creative person, the artist, who seeks not such things but rather seeks to bring joy and pleasure to others. Creates, a sense of contentment that liberates the mind and allows for a real sense of freedom of expression. If happiness depends on the accumulation of material things such liberation is seldom found, rather the mind is captured with concerns and worries, and the creative process becomes stifled.

Without such concerns, we begin to be aware that filled with this wonderful creative spirit we are lacking nothing. We can happily develop our talents and feel the world is ours and an explosion of colour and wonder are there for our fulfilment and enjoyment. We can live a life of contentment. It is the contented person that is seldom if ever disappointed. If we have to desire anything, could there ever be one thing more worthy of desire than contentment?

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