Loving, Creating and Letting Go

Loving, Creating and Letting Go

By Dr. Michael Obsatz – May 2021

David Richo, in his book, “The Five Things We Cannot Change,” tells us that everything changes and ends. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross reminds us that every little loss we experience is preparation for our ultimate loss of leaving everything, of dying.

We have forever friends, friends for a season, and friends for a reason. Buddhists remind us about the Law of Impermanence. People come and go. Nothing remains the same.

As small children, we may live fairly self-centered lives. Then we grow up, we change, we age, and we lose some of our capabilities. We gain wisdom, and we can gain empathy and compassion. Some people mature and grow up. Others remained self-absorbed for a lifetime.

We learn from Jesus to let go of our egos and give ourselves to God. This means we live for the purpose of loving, spreading joy and peace, and supporting everything on the planet. We focus on serving others, and spend less time worrying about what we are getting. This is another type of letting go.

Christianity teaches us that we let go, and we let God! This is the ultimate trusting of life. Our time in this earthy body is limited. What do we do with this time? How do we live fully, and yet not get attached to living in this material world? Ageing is inevitable, and nothing lasts forever. Therefore, we cannot take for granted any blessings we experience.

Recently, Olympia Dukakis passed away, an actress who was in “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” That movie was about saving the arts in schools. I got to meet her at the Hungry Mind Bookstore in St. Paul where she shared from her book, “Ask Me Again Tomorrow.” She was amazing person who acted in many films, always playing a spunky woman.

The arts — music, prose, poetry, film — are part of our human legacy. They tell the intricate stories of our lives, and provide us with understanding of the human condition — love, war, peace, suffering, joy pain, etc.

We are called to love and create and spread joy and peace. We are called to appreciate the precious time we have on this planet. Let us not spend our time in foolish, petty thinking or actions. Let us see the sacredness of each moment, and the gift that we have been given.