'Just let go' is one of those buzz-phrases that makes me wince inwardly, as it seems that people often bandy it about, with all the credibility of Nancy Reagan encouraging people to ‘just say no to drugs.’ On one level it is just that simple and on another, very real level, it is not.
Acceptance is a word I like a little better as it gives you some idea of what is involved in the act of letting go. I think the notion stems mainly from Taoist and other Asian religious philosophies, which stress the importance of living life in harmony with nature. Rather than fighting to control our lives in a bid for happiness and freedom, they suggest aligning our lives with the natural order of things.
Struggling against the momentum of the universe by struggling against the moment we are in is understood to be foolish, painful and ultimately pointless. No freedom and happiness there. The idea is that Nature is intelligent, the Universe as a whole, is as it should be, and therefore our lives, in some fundamental way, are as well. This is where true freedom lies, though the whole notion is antithetical to the way our society is constructed--we are taught to believe in CONTROL.
In the West we are rewarded for competing successfully, even if that means stepping on other people’s heads—message being, presumably, that happiness lies just on the other side of an insatiable appetite for conquest and the rewards of money and consumer goods. At best all that does is distract us temporarily and give us a hangover, of sorts.
Happiness is ours for the taking and freedom lies not in the systematic conquest of nature (read: ourselves, others, life in general), but in respect and reverence. We need to learn how to let life be on some level. The world is what it is, whether we choose to acknowledge and live sensitive to that truth or not. Living in harmony with Nature’s intelligence makes sense and guides us into a way of life that is more accepting, effortless and carefree.
Letting go in this context means allowing ourselves to be human, and making allowance for others to be human as well. This requires humility, intelligence, courage and trust, all of which are key to a life of simplicity, happiness and freedom.
