“The painful thing is that when we buy into disapproval, we are
practicing disapproval. When we buy into harshness, we are practicing
harshness. The more we do it, the stronger these qualities become. How sad
it is that we become so expert at causing harm to ourselves and others. The
trick then is to practice gentleness and letting go. We can learn to meet
whatever arises with curiosity and not make it such a big deal. Instead of
struggling against the force of confusion, we could meet it and relax. When
we do that, we gradually discover that clarity is always there. In the
middle of the worst scenario of the worst person in the world, in the midst
of all the heavy dialogue with ourselves, open space is always there.”
Pema Chodron from When Things Fall Apart