#findingtranquility

"Whether you're a gem in the royal court or a stone on the common path, if you accept your part with humility the glory of the universe will be yours" -Lao Tzu

Let me preface this by saying, this isn’t mental health advice, merely a a reflection that hopefully serves as a glimpse to the other side for people that struggle consistently with mental health. All disorders are welcome here. But this isn’t a TikTok page. This isn’t entertaining. This isn’t fake. This isn’t a zone for glorification, this is a quiet space for people to read when they’re alone and feel they can’t share some of their inner most thoughts with the people around them. Come stay with me for awhile.

I want to talk about this quote as it relates to mental health and my position as a morally grey clinician.

This quote basically says “when you accept your position in life, you are not bound by the distraction of wanting to be something different than yourself, things become possible that were not previously available to you. Lao Tzu makes an interesting statement “whether you’re a gem or a stone”. Some people make take away from this that there are two classes of human beings, those that are “gems” and those that are not. This isn’t the point he’s trying to make and if you think about it deeper, a much more encompassing thought occurs-

In my job, I encounter people from all positions in the spectrum of human existence. I encounter people that appear to be “gems” in society; privileged, educated, wealthy. I encounter the “stones” who are truly, never stones. All people are dynamic and fascinating. Mental health doesn’t discriminate, it affects everyone. Thus, the gems and the stones in this concept, are the same.

Depending on your temperament, you’ll either agree, we are all stones, or all gems. The point is that we are equal and this is supported by the vast afflictions of mental health issues globally. It’s not congruent to think, others are gems, and I am a stone, if we are all human. Even gems die. Gems bleed. They cry alone too sometimes. There is no true division. We are united in secret by the things we do not discuss. 

Do you see how this quote is like a clever trick ? When you contemplate it, you realize you can accept your position in life because you’re actually not truly different from others you perceive to be in higher positions than you. You’ll only get caught up if your values aren’t sorted- money, power, material things. Of course we all tend to care about these things, but perhaps you’re perpetuating your own feelings of inadequacy. This is just a gentle prompting to think about the things that matter to you the most- experiences, feelings, people- and if you’re living in a way to honor those values.

Do the things you chase after set you free or do they entangle you ?

As a clinician, I see no distinction between “gems” and “stones”. So many concerns you think are personal to you, are spoken by strangers to me. People generally worry that they’re “bad people”, that they’re “crazy”, they don’t know what the purpose of their lives are, people miss their loved ones they don’t talk to anymore, people don’t get enough sleep, people hope for forgiveness- a softness that the world doesn’t have anymore. It’s thoughts like these that tell me, we are connected together even in our darkest fears.

The porchlight is always on here,

You are SO pretty!