Carl Jung says, “Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity.”
Society wants to to feel like losing, being sad, angry, depressed, etc is “bad.” When in reality, these are all okay and are SUPPOSED to be felt. All emotions are temporary states of mind. We are going to experience a wave of emotions. How we perceive them and understand them is key. How we communicate them to ourselves and others is key. The strongest in the mind are able to express their emotional state in a respectful way and to the right people.
Here is a beautiful story I just heard about coming to peace with acceptance and patience:
A trip to the jungle. Over 100 degrees in temperatures. A couple decided to temporarily stay in a rural village in the mountains where there was no running water, no electricity, and bedrooms were shared. The couple noticed children were happy, Mothers and Fathers were interacting in a healthy way, and everyone seemed to be at peace with their style of life. All while living in over 100 degree heat with no technological advances compared to regular society. The people live by completely accepting their environment instead of focusing on trying to control it. The couple quickly saw the bigger picture when in the back of their minds, they were reminded of their air conditioning, running water and electricity back home. Soon, they began to accept and come to peace with where they knew they were spending the next couple days. No anxiety. No frustration. Just accepting what is. Contrast and Variety. The good and the bad.
Situations like this can help center us. The help us realize perspective. To help us realize that life is going to be dirty/clean, good/bad, dark/light, bloody/healthy, an so on…
The people that win are the people that accept what is. They accept the variables that they can’t control. They understand they can’t be in control of everything. They make the best of what they do have. They take the time to appreciate. They don’t complain about what isn’t happening, why something is the way it is, or why someone isn’t doing something the way they want it done.
Next time someone doesn’t agree with you, why don’t you decide to let it go, or even educate them calmly on why you’re choosing to do things the way that you do them. Or even taking the time to find a middle ground so you can satisfy them and also yourself. Next time you’re sitting in traffic, try to not breath hard and get upset. Just drive and relax. Next time you experience someone in public getting extremely angry, take some deep breaths and remind yourself that they’re completely overreacting.
You will come to peace when you’re less reactive. When you accept the circumstance around you and simply make a decision based on what is morally and ethically right. You will rest easy at the end of the night when your conscience is clear and you know you’re making decisions that you’re proud of. Ones you would like to be remembered by.
THE_HUMAN_EXPERIMENT1993 