Tolerating is not the same as accepting. When you're tolerating something, you submit to it in a way, while still resisting or rejecting it. You don't do anything about it now, meaning to do something about it later, when you have the opportunity. You keep it at the back of your mind. You want to retaliate but you know you can't do it at the moment, so you postpone your "revenge". When you tolerate something, you submit to a reality that you dislike, that you find upsetting. You may accept it consciously, but not unconsciously. You may accept at a practical level that you cannot beat your circumstances, but lurking in your subconscious is the thought, "My time will come..."
This is not acceptance. You're still wrestling; the struggle is going on. It's a temporary reprieve, but underneath the superficial yielding, the tension continues. It's only when the ability to fully accept reaches the subconscious level, when there is no battle any more, no resistance whatsoever, that there is a real sense of relief, a lasting peace. It's only when you relax and let go of whatever is bothering you that you will finally experience true freedom. Why choose a rocky road when you can walk a smooth path, without strain and conflict?
With much love,
Bella
Painting: "Autumn Landscape" by Isaac Levitan, 1894
Good thoughts Isa. I also believe that we give people too much power over ourselves. By judging people, we decide to like or dislike them and thus our emotions dance around them. For example, someone can ruin our day merely by being in the same space as us because we decided we donot like them.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, Jas !! Thanks for your comment, and thanks for reading this - it means a lot to me...
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