Although this Blog is not a forum for political topics, I feel today's posting is relevant and warranted because it relates to "mental fitness" and things we can do to clear the clutter (reduce the mind's "fat" if you will) that can wreak havoc on our peace of mind. Please indulge me as I attempt to explain. All of the recent political vitriol in the press has put a "bee in my bonnet" (as Reg and I call it) and over the past few days I have found myself getting upset over things I have no control over and can do very little (if anything) about. Nonetheless, I've been stewing over why I abhor people like George W. Bush, Pat Robertson and Geraldine Ferraro and why their mere presence on the tv screen can make me angry and want to change the channel. I don't really consider these people my "enemy" but I would say they rank in my current top 10 of people who work my nerves! : ) That being said, I recognized that I was expending precious mental energy on "clutter" and reaping no benefit from this futile exercise. In short, I was wasting my time and energy. To equate this nonsense to physical exercise, what I was doing was sort of like eating a greasy, triple-decker cheeseburger with "the works" and drinking a milkshake while walking on the treadmill! : ) Thankfully, I came across this great article on zenhabits.net that helped me to see the many benefits of "loving my enemy." Check it out and see what you think. Click HERE for the full story.
QuoD: What do YOU think of the notion of "loving your enemy"? Can you honestly do it and not just give it lip service (e.g., say you love your enemy but still harbor ill will towards him/her/them)?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
10 Tips for Life’s Greatest Challenge: Love Thy Enemy
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4 comments:
it's hard, conscious work to love thy "enemy". a lot of the times the work involves reframing my thoughts and not imposing a script on people. lord knows, it's so much easier to judge!
i've done it a few times and was surprised by how energized i was. didn't waste a lot of time and energy thinking about what the other person was thinking. i worked mightily instead to remain open and to not default to "he/she is an evil bastard!"
it works well in all situations -- professionally and personally. even though i've had success in the short term i often find myself reverting to the old patterns -- judging and haterading and tired.
thanks, kev for reminding me to look up.
i took the poll -- the truth? i do all of the above! hahahahahahaha -- hey you forgot: kick the dog?
I'd like to say that I always "forgive and forget" and "let go"..but i know that I don't. Sometimes I can sort of forgive (I know forgiveness is not really a matter of degree), but I NEVER forget...I NEVER forget who has hurt me or prevented me from doing what I wanted to do. Unfortunately (or fortunately) i also remember who I have hurt (if they let me know) and how I have stood in the way of others. These scripts are played out in my mind often. What usually will break this cycle will be for me to try to be really PRESENT in the moment. Also, it helps for me to recognize that based on each person's view of the world and history their actions always make sense...so if I think about what set of circumstances has brought me and the other person into the encounter that is causing a problem the encounter and the reactions start to make more sense. BUT, this is VERY hard to do all the time. Oh, and I am also trying to be a little more patient with myself.
I heard something on the radio today that made sense to me. "Reasonable people seldom differ". The person that spoke these words was the top dog in the governmental branch that oversees what the president and congress do. it helped me to remember as you said gemini72 that e'rybody has their perspective.
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