Peace & reactivity

This piece is dedicated to much loved friend.

The more I am able to understand myself, the more I am able to listen to ‘others’ and allow them to be. Peaceful relationships with others cannot occur if I am highly reactive towards everything I feel.

To understand myself I must first be open to what I am experiencing. To be open means not to react instantly to ‘deal with’ or ‘solve’ but rather to accept and acknowledge. This doesn’t mean I won’t respond - I’m just gathering information before I do.

I am not only defined by what others think of me. Others are not defined merely by what I think of them. If I can see this, we may have a chance to form a peaceful relationship.

If we can both see this, then we have an even better chance. So how do we start? By developing a rewarding relationship with challenge and conflict. By seeing it not as suffering, but as an opportunity to realise joy.