ABSTRACT
Maturing and transformation, individually and collectively, happen in suffering. This process leads to experiencing meaning and new perspectives. For many people, distress and hardship initiate a new opening toward non-dual dimensions. The one-sided emphasis on the ego becomes relativized. Growing older encourages maturation, since we look death more closely in the eye in the second half of life. This entails change and often regret, or biblically speaking metanoia (reversal). Inwardly, the ego accepts that it lacks something. This leads to questioning coping patterns. We begin seeking new ways in life and meaning, above all in suffering. And yet, we not only “search” but also “find.” This process takes place deep inside us: we can return to our primordial state of trust while moving forward into a new relationship and participation in the Whole (i.e., a final state). Reapproaching the Whole demands courage and humility. This chapter also presents symbols, experiences of music, and images of God/the divine that are typical of our maturation and integration amid suffering.
