What is a single word that sums up the way to live a life?

If there is one word that would sum up the way to live our life, it would probably be Acceptance.

It is easy to say, but a difficult task to follow. Because, we have been conditioned to think in a certain way, it becomes difficult for us to accept without a protest or a negative thought or connotation. When something happens that is not acceptable to us, we protest by default. It has become second nature.

We fail to realize that to accept all that is happening, work towards overcoming all obstacles, without harming any in the process, without reacting, would be the ideal way to live our life.

Acceptance is not resignation. accepting life as it is, on the other hand, is accepting the laws of nature and its works. We know all that happens, happens for a reason. So, whatever happens, we will not react instantly.

But, we will plan and act to overcome a difficult situation, to make a positive change. 

It might be difficult in the beginning to "accept life as it comes" and look outright stupid, because we have all our life have been seeing that bullies are the only ones winning in this world. We have been trained to be winners, in the material sense only.

We should also start telling our kids that material and spiritual aspirations can co-exist in our journey of life.

I used to attend Gita classes in my school days and could see only grey haired folks around me. So, the general mindset is that you can have spiritual aspirations only after your retirement.

When we see the essence of the higher self in everything that we see and feel, we will slowly begin to “accept” that whatever happens, does with a reason and understand that we are part of this universal system.

Imagine how the beach waves would look if some of the wave currents resist the natural flow and tend to flow the other way. That would be chaotic. Likewise, all ills in the world happen when man tends to react, fails to accept and goes the other way… Chaos happens.

That is why accepting life the way it is, is paramount.