Dear Survivor, It Is Not Your Burden To Carry

Posted: January 13, 2021

Unburden yourself of all feelings of guilt, shame, pain, and suffering because it is not your burden to carry.

Dear Survivor,

Here is a Zen story for you. One day two monks, Tanzan and Aikido, were walking on a muddy road. They had started in the morning and wanted to reach their monastery by the evening. Around noon, they saw a beautiful young girl dressed in the finest of silks struggling to cross an intersection of the muddy road.

Seeing her struggle, Tanzan walked up to her, lifted her easily, and carried her across the intersection. When they reached the other side, Tanzan put the girl down gently, and he and Aikido continued on their journey.

They reached the monastery late in the evening, completed a couple of tasks, ate their simple meal, and lay down for the night. Aikido turned to Tanzan and said, “Did you not know that monks like us must not even be close to women, but less carry them over muddy intersections?”

Tanzan replied, “I left her at the intersection. It seems like you are still carrying her.”

The wisdom of Tanzan for the survivor

My dear survivor, listen to the wise words of Tanzan. Unburden yourself of all feelings of guilt, shame, pain, and suffering because it is not your burden to carry. Unshackle yourself from the chains of negative experiences and give yourself the gift of liberation. That you have survived through the agony of your experiences reflects your hidden strength. But now,

It is time to build courage and put a stop to the unfairness of what happened to you.

It is time to stand up and fight against injustice against you.

Time to show the world your true power.

Time to channelize your strength for your own good.

It is time to say, “Enough to enough!”

Go, take on the world, and know that you are not alone. You have the power of women behind you.

Image source: Pixabay