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Grit. Part of the currency utilized to purchase adulthood.
Why it costs so much to grow up.
Medium peep Santiago Marroquin left the above comment on a story I did for The Startup this morning, which spoke to my friend/mentor Harry’s sometimes horrific journey to where he is now, in his mid-seventies, living the life he had always dreamed.
In many ways, Harry’s exceedingly difficult journey is the stuff of motivational speeches, box office hits. But Harry’s just happy with life. Harry’s life is hardly suddenly easy these days. But that’s the whole point.
The reason I was so tickled with Santiago’s comment is this: in the line of spiritual study that I practice, which includes Buddhism (and the following is not drawn from that, please) but also another esoteric study, there is this fundamental notion: we have to pay for our perspectives.
For every step we take to rise, we have to pay.
For every way of seeing that gives us peace, we have to pay.
For every day we wake up a bit less burdened by our bullshit, we have to pay.
Payment comes with work. Sacred work. The kind of sacred work where you and I stop looking for others to blame for our misfortune.