Consumed by that Which You Feed

As the guidance of Desiderata continues to unfold we are given this:

"But do not distress yourselves with dark imaginings." "Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness."

Mark Twain once said, "I'm an old man and have known many troubles, but most of them never happened."

"Worry" has been defined as, an unhelpful use of the imagination. I can certainly attest to good time poorly spent, ruminating in what amounts to dark fantasy. Projecting "real" or imagined outcomes, on something that hasn't even happened yet. The end result, well frankly, scaring the shit out of myself!!

Even when some of what I feared did come to pass - it wasn't nearly as grave as what I imagined it. Aren't there enough frightening realities in the world without one terrorizing themselves?

A Cherokee story tells of a White wolf and a Black wolf with each of us. One representing Love, generosity, forgiveness, compassion, hope light. The other, Hatred, rage, pride, intolerance, fear, darkness - respectively.

Which one will win out in the end? The one you feed.

To address the second line, while it's useful at times, to allow time for solitude and contemplation; complete isolation is a breeding ground for fear and suffering. Everyone needs the love, support and positive reflections of others sometimes.

The twelve step movement - spawned (at least it's where I heard it first) the acronym: "HALT" which stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired.

It is suggested that if any one of these or combination thereof, is found to be excessive, some sort of self-loving intervention is called for - as one is not "at their best" during these extremes.

So if you are "Hungry" - Eat (ideally something nutritious and not as a means of "coping" with the rest of the Acronym)

If your Angry: learn to express that in a healthy manner.

If you're Lonely - pick up the phone (I know, I know - sometimes you'd think that phone weighs about a kazillion pounds!!)

If you are Tired: Get some rest.

Simple, straight forward guidance... yet powerful.

Learn to observe your thoughts - and replace the self-critical, doom and gloom, with something that is at least a little more hopeful.

Perhaps that is the time to call that trusted friend, so they can remind you who you are, beyond this current negative tail-spin.

This has nothing to do with "due diligence" - one should at least consider their choices and do some homework first. What we're talking about here, amounts to a habituated inclination to "catastrophize."

There will be enough unforeseen hurdles that will present on a chosen path. Better one prepare themselves to overcome these challenges, rather than frighten themselves so badly, they don't even begin.

I'm going to say, a failed attempt is preferable to the regret of never having tried.

R. O'Neill (June 28, 2018)