WHATEVER WE RESIST, PERSISTS

 




“Whatever you fight, you strengthen;

Whatever you resist, persists.”

Eckhart Tolle

 

Bad things should not happen to me… Unpleasant experiences should not come my way… Life should be smooth, predictable.

Am I alone in this kind of thinking?

I am sure, I am not.

Most of us know, that Life is not always smooth and predictable… We do experience bad things and have to deal with unpleasant experiences. Yet, we desperately fight and resist the unpleasant situations in our lives. While fight we should and resist we should, it’s wise to understand the difference between ‘Life and the Life-situations’.

Eckhart Tolle, in his book, ‘The Power of Now’, beautifully explains the difference between Life and Life-situations. As the ‘Serenity Prayer’ does, he, too, encourages us to recognize the situations which we are able to change – fight and resist till we succeed, and the situations which we are not able to change… let go (our fight and resistance) and simply accept.

Eckhart Tolle reminds us: “Whatever we fight, we strengthen. And, whatever we resist, persists.” This is a profound reminder. It’s also quite a misunderstood one. It is natural for us to fight and resist the unpleasant situations in our lives. But, as Life-situations can’t be equated to Life, we should not get caught up in our situations… Life-situations change…  Some change, because we fight and resist. Some change because Universe does its work. That’s the meaning of ‘Thy will be done’… That’s what Harivansh Rai Bachchan advised his illustrious son with: “Mann ka ho toh accha. Na ho toh aur accha.”




 

Every time, I get overwhelmed by my own Life-situations, the first thing I do – as a  mortal – is to fight and resist… I fervently wish those situations to go and my Life to be smooth and pleasant. Often, in this process, I get anxious and worried and lose my focus on the present moment… It brings in suffering and pain. Then, right in the middle of this mess, springs up the wisdom: to recognize, that I should not try to interfere in what Universe – God -  has to do. I let go… and let God in.






Let me leave you with one more pearl of wisdom from Eckhart Tolle:

“The primary cause of unhappiness is not the situation, but your thoughts about it.”

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s: pixabay

Video: Simon & Garfunkel/ Young Pilgrim Music

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