Welcome

Lean Into the Sharp Points

Tibetans have a saying, that to get over those things you fear most—the sharp points of your life—bring them closer, rather then pushing them away.

It’s an idea that many people in Western societies view as counter-intuitive. For example, some try to hide from the sharp points of aging by glossing over it, with the same degree of success a new coat of paint has on stopping an old car’s engine from sputtering.

Some who have lost physical or cognitive abilities grasp at what is gone, doing little more than increasing their suffering. And for death—probably the sharpest point of all—we hide from it as if it was a tyrannical schoolteacher coming to discipline us.

We always have a choice whether or not to follow the ancient Tibetan advice.

from Leaning Into Sharp Points: Practical Guidance and Nurturing Support for Caregivers by Stan Goldberg. Available from New World Library, 2012.