Runners and Seekers

From the Golden Tarot, the Eight of Cups; from the Yantra Deck, One:

The only thing more unthinkable than leaving was staying; the only thing more impossible than staying was leaving. I didn't want to destroy anything or anybody. I just wanted to slip quietly out the back door... ― Elizabeth Gilbert

          There seem to be two kinds of people who leave: the runners and the seekers. The runners are making an escape from a painful situation or unhealthy environment. They feel they need to get away in order to survive. The seekers leave to explore, to find what they think will fulfill them - not to survive but to thrive. In both cases, the person often fails to see the choices they've made that led them to those unhappy places; without inner change, they might wind back up there again only surrounded by different faces. The One card is represented by an I Ching hexagram that symbolizes receptiveness. It encourages us to see our interconnection in spite of our diversity. Yesterday, a woman said she wanted to rename the Fourth of July 'Interdependence Day' to focus on our need for harmony - I heartily agree. But what about those people who cause us harm or suffering? Then I need to remember what my buddy Carolyn wrote, that everyone originated from the Big Bang. We are all conditioned by the circumstances we've experienced (so our perceived realities are different), yet my stardust is not any shinier than anyone else's. I don't have to live with them, but I don't need to hate them either.