Every Action Generates Positive Energy

Why do you feel angry? It is to do your bit to help raise the level of consciousness even further, and the best and only way you can do this is to work on yourself. Reynald was a wealthy businessman who was known for his hedonistic lifestyle. He imbibed freely and maintained a large cellar of the finest vintages. He unashamedly and unabashedly allied himself with those who could help him further his aims and readily discarded them when he no longer needed their help. He was shrewd enough to do so with a smile, because he knew that the wheel always turns and he might well need to call on them again. Reynald also supported the work of the Master, a sage known for his abstemiousness. The Master mobilized his disciples to build hospitals for the poor, schools for children of illiterate parents, and soup kitchens for the homeless. The Master himself lived simply, partaking of a single meal each day, sleeping on the floor, and spending his time in prayer and contemplation. How I admire your renunciation, Reynald exclaimed one day. I have given up but a trifle, said the Master with genuine astonishment. The body exists but for the blink of an eye, and these sensual pleasures fade altogether too soon and leave pain in their wake. Have you ever felt angry, envious, afraid, exhausted, disgusted, drained, anxious, betrayed, confused, cheated, frustrated, guilty, humiliated, impatient, inadequate, vulnerable, manipulated, embarrassed, neglected, heartbroken, trapped, fatigued, victimized, resentful, or worn out? Think back over your life and pinpoint the last occasion when you experienced each of these feelings.

The Sweetest Sound

Are far too many of them your constant companions? I can’t bear to see helpless people being taken advantage of. Our politicians are such hypocritical, corrupt animals. My boss/colleague/spouse/friend behaved so unfairly. He tried to cheat me. He didn’t do what he said he would. Yet again, she was late for an important meeting. I paid a lot of money for it, and it was defective. I was promised an ocean view, but I had to stand on a stepstool and use binoculars to see the ocean. The loan officer never told me there would be additional costs at closing. She had an affair and concealed it. And on, and on, and on. What reason did you come up with? Was it one of these or something similar? Do you really believe this is why you get angry? There is only one reason for getting angry, and that is because you have anger inside you.

Tip of My Tongue

True, any of a number of events can trigger it, but the only reason you get angry is because you always lug around a load of anger. But you’re quite willing to ascribe their existence to some external factor that’s beyond your control. It is struck repeatedly with sticks, kicked, and broken open. Chocolates and sweets and all kinds of goodies. Because that’s what’s in it. The universe has its own ways of subjecting you to stress and strain, and they are scintillating in their diversity. You never know where the ball that will bean you is coming from. Those emotions are what’s in you, so when you’re pressed, that’s what comes out. The only way to not experience these negative emotions is to transmute what is within you. There is something else that you think is outside that is really inside. More accurately, it can only flourish inside, but you have to seed and grow and nurture it. Countless people have come up to me after one of my public talks to say how much they love the vision I hold out.

There's No Power In Pity

They want to live a life where they find deep meaning in their work, where they’re passionate about what they do and care about the organization and its people. But they confess they don’t really feel that way in their current situation. I ask them to write down a description of their ideal job, one that would make them feel the way they want to. They come back with a list of anywhere from ten to thirty parameters. They specify its geographical location, their remuneration, the amount of travel involved, the size of their office, their boss’s nature, their colleagues and customers, and much more. They’re utterly convinced that if they had a job like that, they would be passionate about it. Their faces drop when I tell them they’re utterly mistaken. That it would be next to impossible to find a position that had all the characteristics they’ve listed, and even if some miracle produced such a position for them, it wouldn’t take long for them to become equally disenchanted in that professional job. And if you can’t ignite it in yourself right where you are now, you’re unlikely to find it elsewhere. Once you start kindling that enthusiasm wherever you are, your job mysteriously transforms itself and what you’re seeking miraculously arrives. Caring about our work, liking it, even loving it, seems strange when we see work only as a way to make a living. But when we see work as a way to deepen and enrich all of our experience, each one of us can find this caring within our hearts, and awaken it in those around us, using every aspect of our work to learn and grow. Every kind of work can be a pleasure. As we respond with caring and vision to all work, we develop our capacity to respond fully to all of life. Every action generates positive energy that can be shared with others. These qualities of caring and responsiveness are the greatest gift we can offer. More accurately, you’re focusing on the two or three things that you think are wrong with it and completely ignoring the twenty or thirty things that are actually pretty good about it. Do you have some colleagues who are decent human beings and with whom you love to spend time? Are there some tasks you’re responsible for that you really enjoy?