Lessons...

The Tao and the Gokui (a door to the Tao) tells us naturally that we will keep experiencing trials and tribulations over and over again until we learn the lesson it has to teach us.

History repeats itself to teach humanity a lesson it has yet to learn. Humanity also repeats experiences only because we may have missed the lesson or if we saw it we failed to learn from it.

Just to have knowledge of a lesson does not mean we have learned from it. We have to change ourselves and "live" the lesson in the right way in order to get past its constant repetition in our life.

The gokui tells us that in order to achieve a level of proficiency in the fighting arts and the "Way" we should practice and train to learn the lessons. Sometimes the repetitive practice opens the door and allows inspiration to enter and provide us the lesson then all we need to do is accept it and then "live it."

Life does not give us any choice in the matter; the Tao does not give us any choice in the matter; the Universe be it the sun and moon or the earth and humanity does not give us the choice of the lessons it wants to teach yet we do have the choice of "seeing" the lesson; "hearing" the lesson and finally learning to live it.

Nothing good is easy and this internal scrutiny of the self is the hardest "lesson" we will ever learn. I hope that I have the strength and perseverance to achieve that lesson. I may not want to admit to myself this fault yet if I am able and then can live it then I know that I will be the better person for it.