Johnny Nash originally sang the song “I Can See Clearly Now”. In the song he sings:
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that hide me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
Often, the obstacles that stand in our way of being able to see clearly are obstacles of our own making. We cannot see the obstacles because we are blinded by the dark clouds of the ego. We each have our dark clouds that leave us blind. It isn’t until we clear the rain of our ego’s storm that we can see clearly. We find that when we let go of the ego, when we remove the obstacles by recognizing they are a part of us, the dark clouds of the ego disappear. We can see see clearly. It is indeed a brighter, “sunshiny” day when it happens. Getting there, however, can take some time.
Marianne Williamson succinctly highlighted the difference between the spirit and the ego by juxtaposing a set of dialogue. “Ego says, ‘Once everything falls into place, I’ll feel peace.’ Spirit says, ‘Find your peace, and then everything will fall into place.’” The ego makes selfish and self-centered demands, the end goal of which are often tangled in false truths. The ego wants things like perfection, guarantees, to be right, to be invulnerable, and to not feel any fear. Focusing our time, energy, behavior, and actions on these falsities creates the dark clouds which blind us, preventing us from seeing things clearly. We want everything outside of ourselves to ‘fall into place’ so that inside we can feel peace. Unfortunately, none of the things that the ego demands are permanent. They are fleeting, they are intangible, and they are, outside of the ego, meaningless. Looking outside of ourselves for this spiritual peace is the act of the ego and will always leave us blinded.
There is a reason that humility and surrender are common spiritual ‘requirements’ for a transformative experience. Men learn, when they go to treatment for drug and alcohol addiction, how to meditate, practice mindfulness and introspection, communicate their feelings, write about their experiences, and much more. Rather than look outward to drugs and alcohol, they learn to look inward. The more they do- humbly surrendering one demand of the ego at a time- the more clearly they can see. All the obstacles in their way become illuminated and the clouds clear.
Tree House Recovery is a men’s residential treatment program in Portland, Oregon, offering men the journey of finding freedom from addiction. Creating a sustainable recovery through sustainable change, our programs help men revolutionize their life through total transformation of mind, body, and spirit. Call us today for information: (503) 850-2474
