Question: How do I stay positive during an economic downturn? As there is mid-life crisis with loss of direction and confidence, it is difficult to remain positive.
Answer: There is no need to deliberately stay positive in an economic downturn as there can be many unexpected changes. There is only the need to be more diligent in your work, and even upgrade to stay relevant. It is only due to lack of diligence and relevance in skills that loss of job might be possible. Even with retrenchment due to the company working in closing, the same diligence and relevance will make it easier to move on.
We must remember that this samsaric worldly life (with cyclical births and deaths) WILL naturally be full of ups and downs. This is why it is actually senseless to struggle to be positive in the mundane sense – because worldly life ALWAYS let one down sooner or later. Even if things are going well materially, there is still ageing, sickness and death to deal with. Death can arrive suddenly too – even for the rich, famous and powerful. Of course, we should not be negative either. We should simply be realistic in seeing the way things are, to do what is best.
It is actually good to have a mid-life crisis, because this means you are waking up to the truth that about half of life has transpired already, and that you have been looking for refuge in the wrong places (e.g. money and such). Life is an opportunity to develop our virtues, to grow in compassion and wisdom, to be at peace despite what it throws at us, while we learn to benefit others too. It is walking this spiritual path confidently to lasting True Happiness that brings us ever more substantial joy. The Buddha’s teachings offer us the clearest direction, and will never let us down. Do take a look at the many courses listed at https://thedailyenlightenment.com/category/06 and the feedback given, to catch a glimpse of how many are benefiting from joyful learning and practice.
