It seems to me that some people want to quantify it. It's work on the self, it's absorbing feedback, it's cleaning the machine, it's recognizing faults, it's being open and honest...the list goes on. (Or all the above, but in some transcendental, otherworldly, abstract amalgamation.)
To me, the Work, in its most basic form, is all of that, however in everyday life. The decisions we make at every moment, every impasse, and any questions that might pose themselves throughout the day. I think that some people believe that the Work consists of back-breaking labor and super-efforts, or maybe something so foreign to us that others engaged in it are sacrosanct and without error. I believe that tremendous efforts are involved, but it's also on a day-to-day scale. Just doing the laundry, mowing the law, going to work, interactions with family and friends, and how we treat ourselves is where the Work is best laid in practice. Can we be considerate of others in a setting where more than likely, they will not be considerate of us? Or, maybe even more appropriately, can we be kind and gentle to ourselves, even when the work we do on ourselves shows us all our faults and reminds us of how awfully we have treated others at times? Moreover, how do we carry ourselves through the monotony of life after seeing behind the curtain?
We experience 3D for a reason, because it is necessary to learn, grow, and do. When we hope/wish/think ourselves something more evolved or on the path to enlightenment, I feel that we are self-limiting in some ways. I know that I am not there yet, and if I were to continue to wish my way out of it (as I have in the past), I would be missing the bigger picture here: My opportunity to experience my current place among the cosmos. What an amazing world we live in! I see the landscape changing, and I know there are entropic forces all around, but if I wasn't here, how could I have experienced, or gained knowledge, of such duality? I feel a richness for where I am right now. I don't want to look away from the negative side of things because I would be repressing myself. Before I came to find this forum and the Work, I dissociated heavily so I wouldn't see such things. I think about all the lessons lost, even in the most mundane of circumstances.
We are here for a purpose, as the C's and others have said, and that is to learn. A simple idea, but it takes a lifetime to master. I used to think it was much deeper than that, but right now, I feel it is that simple. IMHO, we cannot know all of the delicate intricacies the universe holds, but what we can do is learn how it works from this level. And I for one, cannot learn if I turn a blind eye to the present, if I am dead set on “getting out of here”, or if I fool myself into believing that I already have some mythical understanding of how it all (anything) works. I now know that I know next to nothing, that my cup is tipped and emptying. Praise Caesar, the bastions are falling and I'm opening up!
Diet has been quintessential. I think we must treat the machine the way it deserves to be treated, and that is by fueling it with whatever necessary nutrients are required and sloughing off the rest. And that in-itself, is doing the Work. Of course, we do have to see our bodies as machines as well, and then abide by such. What has helped me is seeing a separation between “I” and the body. “I” am the commander, and the body is the machine, and to get to wherever I want to go, the machine must be properly maintained, treated well, and listened to.
It seems we have been borne into a very self-serving environment, and we are ultimately self-serving creatures. I think this needs to be acknowledged and addressed. If we take proper care of ourselves, then we can better help others. By seeing that our own needs are met (physically, emotionally and spiritually), we can then safely provide assistance where it is needed and asked for. This is where things like diet, EE, restful sleep, a growing knowledge base, and positive dissociation fit in as daily Work exercises. I try to live by the mantra: “when you work, work hard, and when you play, play hard.” I want to get the most out of every instance that I can - from the practical to the sublime – it all counts, and it's all important.
So, I guess what I am saying is that I don't think the Work always has to be just some grand conceptual idea, only to be seen, felt and experienced on the esoteric level, but that we must first learn every avenue of what it is to be 3D humans. Everything in its time and space. We must see the world as it is and our own lives for what they are, and somehow find the benefit and the lesson to every moment – because there is one. Then, I think, it is actually possible to create a change. In short, get busy living or get busy dying.
