Daily Meditation (Som)

[Marilyn]

Marilyn: "Demand" seems a bit violent, don't you think?

Som: Not in the very least.

In demanding the very best from ourselves, there is no violence,
whatsoever.

Not demanding the best is to live half-heatedly.

When you do something, be completely absorbed in it and give your best to 
the task at hand, be it house cleaning or writing an article.

Marilyn:  I remember reading those exact words in a book about Zen about 
forty years ago.  Yikes, I just gave away my age. 

That is the only way, imo, to live a full life.
(IMO is a way of writing, so please don't be distracted by it -- the issue 
is: whether demanding is the best of oneself is violent or not).

Marilyn:  If you do that (give your very best) without any sort of
coercion (demanding) that would be doing it because you want to.
Forcing yourself to do something you don't want to do is a terrible
form of abuse....IMO.



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