LIL Quark-Part One 1/22/01 8:49 AM Page 30

30 • Living in the Light

receiving an education that teaches the exact opposite of the way

the universe actually functions. We try to make things work as
we’ve been taught, and we may even enjoy some degree of success,
but for most of us things never seem to work out as well as we had
hoped. That perfect relationship never materializes, or if it does,
it soon sours or fades away. Or it may seem as though there is never
quite enough money; we never feel truly secure or abundant.
Perhaps we don’t get the appreciation, recognition, or success that
we want. Even if we do achieve some of these things, we still may
suffer from a vague sense that there must be something more, some
deeper meaning. Some of us may actually connect with that deep-
er meaning and feel increasingly fulfilled and expanded by a grow-
ing spiritual awareness. Nevertheless, there are stubborn and
sometimes puzzling old patterns and areas of life where we expe-
rience great pain and confusion.
Thus, our first task in building the new world is to admit that
our “life education” has not necessarily taught us a satisfying way
to live. We must learn a way of life that is very different from the
way we approached things before. This may not be easy for us, and
it will take time, commitment, and courage. Therefore, it’s very
important to be compassionate with ourselves, to continually
remind ourselves what a tremendous task we are undertaking. It
will not be accomplished overnight; in fact, it is a lifelong process.
Just as a baby learns to walk by falling down repeatedly, we must
remember that we are babies in the new world. We will learn by
making lots of mistakes and often we may feel ignorant, frightened,
or unsure of ourselves. But we would not get angry at a baby every