Daily Meditation: Monday, August 1, 2005

Likes and dislikes - how to use them

08/01/2005

Likes and dislikes are instinctive reactions we cannot avoid, but this is no reason to surrender to them completely. It is not a question of fighting them, of course, but of simply learning to use them. When you like someone, think of that person when you want to feel elated and encouraged. Yes, people you find sympathetic have a good influence on you, so take advantage of the good dispositions they evoke in you. You will say: ‘And what should I do about someone I dislike?’ Well, in that case, practise with it, say to yourself: ‘Now just between you and me, we have to overcome this! However unpleasant I find this person at first sight, who’s to say he isn’t someone I could learn to work with if I made an effort? And if he really is as unpleasant as he seems, I need to overcome the negative feelings he arouses in me. These feelings are toxic, and I can’t allow myself to be poisoned.’