Peace

"If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

People still piss me off. Happens all the time. But when you think about it, the disagreeable traits that we all demonstrate at one time or another really arise from our suffering. Who among us hasn't been disappointed, hasn't had their heart broken, hasn't struggled with self criticism or lost someone close to them?

So the self righteous attending physician, the office big mouth, the lover who cheated on us or left, the sibling rival, the asshole who cuts us off in traffic- they're all suffering. Just like us.

Being a precious human being is difficult. We all just want to be happy.

In the moment, it can be hard to be generous. At least it is for me. If someone pushes me, my first instinct is usually to push back- twice as hard.

So what can we do?

Just be willing I guess. Be willing to allow peace to arise spontaneously within our own hearts. And be gentle with ourselves when it doesn't.

Gassho