Thursday, June 21, 2007
Resistance
Scott Young posted this morning on the zen of folding laundry. Basically, he had to fold laundry, but didn't want to. Within his own mind, he had turned it into a horrible task because he didn't want to be doing it. He was resisting it. Once he realized what he was doing, he was free to accept the fact that he was actually doing it. Peace then had room to enter. He relates this to a few circumstances, including depressed or lonely moments. If we can accept that we are feeling certain emotions, like loneliness, which we might try to resist, "as if they were the color of your shirt rather than a symbol of your character. Not something to resist or feel ashamed of but just a fact" then peace would have room to enter our lives as well.
I think the same is true of temptation. You know that we discuss the road to recovery a lot here. I've related this before to waves at the beach. When a wave is coming, you actually start to feel the water pull into the wave first. The water recedes. That's your first indication (if you aren't looking) that a wave is coming. The wave would pull you in. You can stand and resist it and get knocked down, or dive down and let it roll over you. We've talked many times of letting temptation roll over, just accepting that the temptation is occurring. I think Scott hit it perfectly by describing it as a situation that is occurring, a fact rather than a symbol of your character. We often use the term "resisting temptation." I wonder if that is the wrong way to handle it. Yes, avoid temptation. But when it finds you, and it will. Accept that it is occurring. You're actually in the middle of it. Acknowledge it because it happens. One of the best ways I've found to stop resisting and accept is to start writing in a journal. It validates your situation but allows a forward thinking moment that separates you from your circumstances. You are, suddenly, no longer emotionally connected to the tempting situation, but rather to the writing or to those that will read it later (if you write with others in mind). The emotional connection is that same wave that tries to pull you in and I think finding an alternate activity that allows you to validate your situation creating an emotional connection to something else is the way to let the wave roll right over you. I've really come to enjoy Scott's blog.
I think the same is true of temptation. You know that we discuss the road to recovery a lot here. I've related this before to waves at the beach. When a wave is coming, you actually start to feel the water pull into the wave first. The water recedes. That's your first indication (if you aren't looking) that a wave is coming. The wave would pull you in. You can stand and resist it and get knocked down, or dive down and let it roll over you. We've talked many times of letting temptation roll over, just accepting that the temptation is occurring. I think Scott hit it perfectly by describing it as a situation that is occurring, a fact rather than a symbol of your character. We often use the term "resisting temptation." I wonder if that is the wrong way to handle it. Yes, avoid temptation. But when it finds you, and it will. Accept that it is occurring. You're actually in the middle of it. Acknowledge it because it happens. One of the best ways I've found to stop resisting and accept is to start writing in a journal. It validates your situation but allows a forward thinking moment that separates you from your circumstances. You are, suddenly, no longer emotionally connected to the tempting situation, but rather to the writing or to those that will read it later (if you write with others in mind). The emotional connection is that same wave that tries to pull you in and I think finding an alternate activity that allows you to validate your situation creating an emotional connection to something else is the way to let the wave roll right over you. I've really come to enjoy Scott's blog.
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