Do we understand anything if we condemn it? To push it away, or to accept it, is easy; but the very condemnation or acceptance is an avoidance of the problem.
To condemn a child is to push him away from you in order not to be bothered by him; but the child is still there. To condemn is to disregard, to pay no attention; and there can be no under standing through condemnation…
It is interesting to see how incapable we are of observing the problem as though it were new. We carry along with us all our past efforts, conclusions, intentions; we cannot look at the problem except through these curtains.
No problem is ever old, but we approach it with the old formulations, which prevent our understanding it. Be passively watchful of these responses. Just be passively aware of them, see that they can not solve the problem.
The problem is real, it is an actuality, but the approach is utterly inadequate. The inadequate response to what is breeds conflict; and conflict is the problem. If there is an understanding of this whole process, then you will find that you will act adequately…
—Jiddu Krishnamurti, Commentaries on Living, Series 1
May we recognize our problems for the teachers they are,
Simeon
Quote of the Week
“To be surprised, to wonder, is to begin to understand.”
— José Ortega y Gasset
Suggested Reading
The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety by Alan Watts
What if our search for answers is what keeps us anxious? In The Wisdom of Insecurity, Alan Watts shows how real peace begins not in control but in surrender. His words are an invitation to meet life with gentle clarity, exactly as it is.
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