Hardships and Heartache

The Heart of Compassion

The final episode of Season Two. Regarding freedom, the human evolutionary journey is two-fold, River suggests. First, we must break free of our conditioning, much like the chick escaping from its shell. Second, we cultivate compassion, not only for ourselves but the transpersonal suffering of humanity. Ultimately, the heart of compassion is the heart of awakening.

Chasing Happiness

People do two curious things in their ideas of happiness: almost always we make it conditional (I'll be happy when such and such occurs... ), and we project it into the future rather than now. As River says, if you are only happy in the BIG moments, you're going to spend a lot of time unhappy in life. Better to reframe your perspective, be present, and realize how your own mind keeps you trapped in unhappiness.

Living with Intention

Beyond mainstream ideas about success, purpose, and goals—the “hustle”—what is it to live with intention, especially in regard to values such as personal alignment, wellness, and integrity? River differentiates intention from the New Age idea of “manifesting,” and offers the intentional path is both an inner and outer one, which ultimately join in the heart.

Hardships and Heartache

Lifting a line from Joy Harjo, the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States, River says, "Everyone has a heartache." Even though most of us create our own suffering, when we recognize that everyone has their challenges and angst, we potentially lessen our own selfishness and develop compassion. And just possibly, we can learn to "hold the heartache lightly."

The Helping Way

An Instagram post from journalist Maria Shriver during the Palisades fire in Los Angeles, a quote to "Look for the helpers..." inspired this episode. Crisis is the master agent of change, River says, and a world of difference exists between the lowest common denominator of victim mentality—blaming and complaining—versus the highest level of awareness, which is altruistic service.