Dialysis for the soul
RECENTLY, a good friend was diagnosed with kidney failure. It was devastating news for all of us as he’d always been such a bubbly guy.
When he received the confirmation, he was down for several days and we tried our best to cheer him up. Today, he’s started to get back up again although his weekly routine now includes several trips to the dialysis centre.
Such is the effect of kidney failure. Our kidneys filter waste and excess fluid from the blood, which are then excreted in our urine.
When chronic kidney disease reaches an advanced stage, dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes and waste can build up. Dialysis is the only way to discharge these harmful waste from the body.
While some of us may not have to go through the hassle of dialysis for the body, my friend’s situation reminded me that all of us still need to have a “dialysis” for our souls.
What do I mean? Throughout the day, we would have likely created some “emotional waste” as we face the challenging world.
Whether on the road, in the office or at home, we go through an emotional roller coaster on a regular basis. The mixed feelings and negative emotions can accumulate faster than our ability to discharge them.
EMOTIONAL WASTE
There are many types of emotional waste that may taint our hearts. Chief among them are envy, greed, ego and prejudice. These are clear signs that the heart is not clean, and that unlucky person will never experience true happiness.
Before we start blaming others, let’s look at ourselves first. Let’s take envy as an example. How many times have we felt genuinely happy for someone’s good fortune without the slightest trace of envy?
What about the time we felt that “justice is done” because someone we don’t really like is having some trouble? Chances are, every one of us would have experienced this negative feeling at some point.
At home, many parents also create emotional waste, maybe inadvertently, by ruling with an iron fist and without care for the children’s feelings. The home becomes a battleground, devoid of love and happiness.
As such, a good cleansing for the soul is needed. There is no better time than now to do it. Let’s discharge all envy, prejudice and selfishness as we travel the road to happiness together.
Be compassionate to important people in our lives, be it our employees, helpers, children or even people we don’t really like.
Find humility in our hearts to put ourselves in their shoes and truly feel what they feel. Spread the love as we make our long journey with our loved ones.
Once we’re able to do this, we’re well on our way to a cleansed soul. Just like a dialysis patient feels fresh and healthy after a session, we can look forward to happier and brighter days ahead once the toxins are out of our system, physically and emotionally.