Secrets of Spiritual HappinessSecret #26 -- Too Many Expectations Lead to Disappointment
By Sharon Janis
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If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
- Mark Twain
The more that we expect from others, the more we are opening ourselves to being disappointed. Let me tell you a story about someone who had a big expectation, and a spiritual one, at that.
Some years ago a successful American businessman had a serious identity crisis, and deeply desired to know the meaning of life. He sought help from therapists and counselors, but nothing ever came of his efforts. Nobody could tell him what he wanted to know.
Eventually, the man learned of a venerable and incredibly wise guru who lived in a mysterious and most inaccessible region of the Himalayas. The businessman came to believe that this guru was the one person who could tell him what life meant, and what his role in it ought to be. With great faith and many expectations, the man sold all his worldly possessions. Eagerly, he began his search for this all-knowing guru.
The former businessman spent eight years wandering from village to village throughout the Himalayas in an effort to find this elusive master. Then, one blessed day, he chanced upon a shepherd who told him where the guru lived and how to reach the place.
It took the man nearly another year of intense austerity to find the hidden location, but he eventually did find his way to the mountaintop abode. There he came upon his guru, who was indeed venerable -- in fact, well over one hundred years old. The guru consented to help him, especially when he learned of all the sacrifices the man had made to meet him.
With a compassionate smile, the guru asked, "My son, what can I do for you?"
"I must know the meaning of life," whispered the man, with eager anticipation.
The guru replied without hesitation. "Life," he said, "is a river without end." The guru settled back after answering the man's question.
"A river without end?" asked the man in startled surprise and emerging anger. "After coming all this way to find you, all you have to tell me is that life is a river without end?"
The guru was shaken and shocked. "You mean it's not!?!"
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