I'd like to tell a little story and then relate it to some of the blogs I've recently read. My intention is to offer compassion and support.

About twenty years ago a friend and former yoga student became interested in alternative healing. He found someone who claimed to heal by projecting energy from his hands into another person's body. Of course, this is a well-known practice, and has a wide variety of names. I personally believe in and practice this form of healing.

Anyway, my friend became a student of this healer and took classes from him in how to use one's hands to find weak areas, how to project healing energy, and so on. One day, the teacher announced that he would lead a tour to India, where students would travel around and meet many great healers and holy ones. My friend signed up for the tour.

They flew to Delhi and the next morning went to the market to purchase souvenirs and items for the trip. The teacher accidentaly knocked over a large can of tomato paste. It fell from the shelf, tilting slightly as it dropped. The edge of the heavy can hit the teacher on his right foot, exactly on the first joint of his big toe. He was wearing open-toe sandals.

The teacher screamed in excruciating pain. My friend immediately ran over, knelt at the teacher's feet, held his hands over the injured toe, closed his eyes, and began projecting healing energy exactly as the teacher had taught him to do.

The teacher screamed at him, "Get away from me, you fool! This hurts!!"

It's a true story, but what does it teach? Something beautiful and positive, I believe, but let's come back to it in a moment.

In reading some of the recent blogs, I find a mixture of lofty inspiration and terrible pain. In moments of inspiration, it's easy to say "Pain is delusion. Pain is ignorance. Pain is your friend, come to teach you how to release and grow spiritually." All sublime philosophies and enduring religions arise from the human desire to escape the suffering of life. They offer a wide range of viewpoints and solutions - salvation, enlightnment, ascension and so on.

All of these fine philosophical, metaphysical and theological speculations stop when the heavy can hits the toe. The pain of being human will make anyone scream, "Get away from me, you fool! This hurts!!" When the struggles of life fall on me, I don't want to ponder or practice any belief system, including my own. I just want the pain to stop, right now.

So what can we do to help each other in a meaningful way? One of the greatest lessons I have received from my teacher is this: Give what you believe you don't have.

I so admire all of you who are willing to post your pain and struggle here for everyone to see and share. I'm trying to become a little more brave about doing that myself. I believe that when you express your pain of being sick and injured, of how hard it can be just to ride the bus and pay the rent, of living with someone who doesn't seem to care about you, of feeling lost and alone, of your despair that a spiritual practice which once worked well for you now seems meaningless and empty, even of wondering out loud and in print if you're going crazy and need help, you are in truth giving others what you believe that you do not have for yourself. You are healing others, because you are telling all the world that you really know how it feels to hurt, physically and emotionally. Your simple, unpretentious humanity becomes as powerful as any mantra, prayer, visualization, affirmation or energy channeling. If you want to know why something painful is happening to you, consider the simple possibility that maybe it's just your time and turn to know what this feels like, so you can become more helpful and useful to others.

I believe that all our trainings, practices, disciplines, tools and forms of inspiration are good, beautiful and true. I believe that my friend's teacher really could heal with his hands. I believe that my friend learned from him how to help others. The teacher's human cry of pain does not take anything away from who he was or what he practiced and taught.

Give what you believe you do not have. Give it over the internet, or down the hall, or on the street. Give it verbally or silently. Give it with a smile, a prayer or a tear. Give it to someone next to you or on the other side of the world. But whatever you do, don't wallow in your room feeling sorry for yourself. Let your sorrow bind you and connect you to all of us, to all the world. Why was Buddha compassionate? Why was Christ willing to give his life that others may have great hope? Cry for everyone who hurts as much as you do. In this, you can never be a fool, no matter what you believe.

Peace to all,
Mike