Letting Go – October 10, 1999
One of the difficult things about life is deciding what’s worthwhile and what isn’t. Many of us have had the experience of pursuing something, only to be disappointed when we finally obtained the goal. Sometimes we’re surprised by the fact that what we thought was so important has brought us no joy or benefit. At other times we find that what we’ve been pursuing didn’t get us even close to where we wanted to be—like climbing a ladder, only to find that it’s resting upon the wrong wall.
In Tonga, fishermen catch an octopus by making a lure from a round stone and large seashells. This lure is called a maka-feke. As fishermen paddle over the reefs in their outrigger canoes, they dangle the maka-feke over the side. The octopus, hiding in rocky lairs, sees the lure, mistakes it for an ocean crab, darts out, and wraps its long tentacles around the trap. One would think that, once the octopus felt the lure, it would let go. But instead, the creature holds so tenaciously to what it thinks is a crab that the fishermen can easily flip the octopus into the canoe.
A man who recently retired had been holding fast to a “maka-feke.” For the last three years of his career, he refused to forgive his employer for an indiscretion. He grew bitter and spent hours thinking up ways to get even with his employer. Despite what he did, he never felt any satisfaction. His pain grew. His only comfort came in the thought that as soon as he retired everything would be better. A few months after retirement, he realized that he was just as miserable as before. He wondered why things hadn’t changed, then realized that it was not what his employer had done, but his own refusal to forgive and move on with his life that had destroyed his happiness. That sudden realization freed him. He let go of the bitterness, spent his time thinking about and remembering the good and wonderful things that had been part of his career, and thus regained the happiness he had once known.
Time and energy are precious gifts. But to use them best, we need to examine what we’re spending them on. If what we’re doing isn’t bringing us the joy and happiness we desire, perhaps the solution is as simple as letting go.
Program #3660