The Frida Kahlo Quote we all Need When our Pain Feels like too Much.
It’s been a tough year, I know.
But what about the previous year? And the one before? What about five years ago?
The truth is, life is tough. It’s not about 2020. It’s not about the pandemic, COVID-19, or not being able to hug a loved one.
We’re looking at 2020 as if it is the only year that has ever brought us despair, death, and sickness. But this is what life is fundamentally about: losing the people we love to death, illness, uncertainty, and loneliness. Sounds to me like a daily pandemic.
Even when this pandemic is over, we will still be facing death and staring sickness in the face. Even when social distancing ends, we will still feel lonely at times. Even when it seems like our day is going perfectly, we might hear news that will shake us to the core.
What I’m talking about is a renowned Buddhist teaching, and anyone who’s familiar with the Buddhist philosophy knows what I’m hinting at. The Buddha bluntly said that if we wish to be happy, at peace, and put an end to our agony, we must accept that life is dukkha. In other words, for the Buddha, every day is a 2020.
Dukkha — the Pali word — means suffering, pain, or dissatisfaction. The three kinds of dukkha are physical…
