Almost too violently you stream for me, spring of pleasure! And often you empty the cup again, through wanting so much to fill it (Nietzsche, Ecce Homo, A. 8)
This quote is actually by the Iranian prophet Zarathustra. I think this is such a relatable quote speaking of how sometimes what we lack can feel like a violent torrent that we can't stop from erupting. We feel desperation to try and remove that feeling. Yet ironically, as we desperately try to fill this feeling, we distance ourselves further from that which we seek. In this in particular, we empty it – as in while we seek the feeling, we go so far back that we’re blind to it’s existence within us and therefore it becomes impossible to fill in that moment.
This is something that is also apparent in modern spirituality and is even referenced in a few other books on spirituality I’ve read recently (The Untethered Soul or The Power of Now as examples).
The basic idea of spirituality is that we're already complete. There is no thing that we lack inherently. Society, expectations, and mostly our own ego are what causes us to not see our wholeness. We confuse blindness with non-existance.
It's easy for us to retreat into our minds rather than face our feelings head on. Our minds are tireless creatures that attempt to rationalize all our thoughts and feelings. They create stories to justify why you feel the way you do, and why you think the way you do.
The reality is, we need to come inwards. This means away from our minds and into our bodies. How do we actually feel - describe it. The tension in your shoulders, the emptiness in your stomach, the lightheadedness. These are all physical feelings that you have. It starts off painful to confront them, but confronting them is the first step to accepting them.
You start to realize these physical sensations happen all the time, and even when you feel joy. When you're about to go on a date for the first time, you feel nervous in the same way. The same tension in your shoulders, the same butterflies in your stomach, and the same lightheadness. But you also feel excited. Once you're able to see those things, you realize that this pain of lack is just a story you tell yourself.
You are already capable. You are already worthy. You are already complete. And you always have been.