Have you ever judged the prejudiced? Or have been intolerant to those who show intolerance toward other people or their ways? Or have you ever regretted that you were sorry about something?
I definitely did and will probably do it at some point again. Both to my own prejudices, intolerances and regrets, and to those of the people I cross ways with.
The positive thinking, we hear is good for us, might make us suggest that there is no place for negative feelings in our lives. Or there shouldn’t be.
I definitely thought so and when somebody wrinkled his or her nose upon something I was trying to list all the positive sides of this something, even if being honest I myself would wrinkle my nose too.
But the truth is that what happened, happened, and should have happened. Otherwise it wouldn’t have happened. Thus, however we might deny and resist it, there are times for regrets, prejudices and times when we have an urge to be intolerant.
The great thing is that when we just step back and watch with curiousness and awareness, we notice amazing things about human nature and those negative things and feelings do not appear negative anymore. They are just natural features of our thrilling reality. They are signs that guide us toward certain turns in our lives.
Understanding and experiencing this brought me a huge relief. I don’t have to worry about my or anyone else’s worries anymore. All I have to be is to be present and aware. And listening. And truly observing without judging. And then something wonderful happens: everything I let be, lets me be.
Learning this brought both relief and fear, because I was afraid to forget some nice experiences. Letting go was for me equivalent to taking farewell forever.
But that is not true either. We can keep all those memories, of both “good” and “bad” and still be able to let go, or rather let all that to have been or to have happened.
And those supposedly “bad” things add deep, intensive colors to our lives’ paintings.
I wish you fun in discovering and painting the picture of your life!
Picture: Being ones of my favorite animals, along with elephants, mice, donkeys and turtles, giraffes symbolize true curiosity for me. I met these giraffes at the Aalborg zoo about a week ago.
