Yearning can be a very powerful experience. Both yielding to yearning and resisting yearning can be uncomfortable. That we yearn does not mean we must have, or do, that for which we yearn. The prudent response to yearning is not to let it control us or overwhelm us. It is not to let it compel us to any action we may think will make the discomfort of yearning go away. Indeed, allowing yearning to determine our actions, let alone to eclipse our responsibility for our choices of action, can be like rewarding bad behavior: yielding to yearning often produces more yearning.
Yearning, as master, can cause much trouble, suffering, and regret.
The prudent response to yearning is to discover what it reveals that requires our attention. It is a call of the spirit within each of us to consciousness.
Like temptation, which reveals our values, yearning reveals our wishes and our needs - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
Yearning, as teacher, leads us to learning and provides energy for the journey of Life. It is a doorway to growth and, as such, welcome.
