Resistance

What are you resisting?

What is happening that you wish wouldn't be happening?

What is true that you wish weren't true?

Sometimes resistance is useful, such as resistance against political oppression.

Other times, resistance only makes things worse.

Wishing really hard that the baby on the plane will stop crying doesn't change anything about the external world: the baby will either stop crying, or won't. It does change your internal world: it works you up.

The trick is to accept.

Not accept as in "be okay with this situation persisting permanently", but accept as in "right now, my world is like this". You don't have to like the situation, you just have to acknowledge it.

Acceptance makes you feel more at ease, regardless of the circumstances. It won't make you into a wimp; it isn't "giving up". It's simply a Jedi mind trick to feel better.

Plus, you can always try to make positive changes to the world later. After you've accepted the way things are, for now.

Yours,

— Peter

P.S. Am I making no sense? Learning when you're resisting and how it makes you feel worse is incredibly valuable. You learn by practicing mindfulness meditation. Try out a popular app like Headspace or 10% Happier for a few days and see whether you feel any better.