WORTH THE WEIGHT
I’ve always liked the Zen parable that says, “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”
Spiritual transformation changes everything. And… the work remains.
We still have daily tasks and sometimes drudgery. Life can be darned cumbersome. Dealing with discomfort, meeting challenges and setbacks, facing disappointment and conflict, mustering again and again whatever extra oomph it takes to push through. It’s exhausting.
Even with hearts are full of love, with a positive attitude and deep faith, no matter how enlightened we are about it, all this wood-chopping and water-carrying is heavy work.
We might ask, then, “Well what’s the point? If it’s not going to solve all my problems once and for all, if it’s not going to make the sailing smooth, heal me and the world for good and forever, then what’s the blooming point?!”
Which is an excellent question, and one we can spend lifetimes answering for ourselves. For me, the point is something about the fact that it makes things matter, gives sparkle to our cares and concerns and joys and efforts. It imbues our lives with meaning and purpose.
But wait — weight — there’s more.
We have to do the work before and after enlightenment; that’s just the first thing. The other thing, the thing the Buddhist saying doesn’t say, is:
ENLIGHTENMENT CAN MAKE IT ALL FEEL EVEN HEAVIER.
Loving fiercely when it’s hard, trying to stay awake and aware when we’d rather check out, practicing responsibility and mindfulness and creativity as we navigate the thick and thin of our different relationships…
Spirituality may, initially, feel like it lightens our load. It offers an empowering context, our connection to a Divine Whole, perhaps a renewed sense of community. But as we consciously forge greater and deeper connections, expand our circles of compassion, grow into our sense of who we truly are, we might very well find ourselves chopping and carrying more, not less.
Maybe that’s the point. Like resistance training at the gym, we lift more to get stronger so we can lift still more. We enlighten so we can address heavier cares, take on bigger problems, make more fundamental, inclusive, and far-reaching changes.
It’s worth the weight. The weight is worth it.
Of course it would be easier to not lift anything. I guess it would be easier in some ways to live in ignorance and apathy, to let everything be someone else’s problem.
Not a lot of sparkle, though, in ignorance and apathy.
I can’t wait (weight!) to be with you this Sunday, October 4. At q-Staff Theater, at 10:00am, with the divine Patty Stephens. XO, Drew
©2026 Drew Groves
