Not a Hamster on A Wheel!

Being an emotional person often goes hand in hand with being reactive – it’s like our emotions have a direct line to our words, bypassing any rational thought along the way. We feel something, and bam! Someone says something, and it’s as if our emotions take the wheel, steering us down a path of impulsive responses. Something triggers us, and it’s like a floodgate of emotions opens, leading us to respond without pause.

We react, period. And until now, I use to think, so what? Emotions are a fundamental part of being human, and reacting [with words] is a natural response to the world around us.

But if I’m being honest, I also know that being reactive [in words] has led to MANY, MANY, MANY problems in my life. Even when a reaction was perfectly warranted, it NEVER brought about a good ending to the situation.

From a karma and soul perspective, the importance of controlling emotions [and words], especially in challenging moments, cannot be overstated. The soul speaks the language of non-violence, not just in physical actions but also in thoughts, words, and emotions.

Every word spoken in a state of emotional agitation inflicts harm – if not to others, at a minimum on ourselves. This harm is from the creation of new harming karma on our soul.

But by gosh, it is so DIFFICULT to control reactions, especially with those people who are there just to antagonize us. Or when you know that you are right and the other person is wrong. Or when the other person is just illogical. Or unreasonable. Or…whatever!

But there-in lies the answer.

Those people are not the problem. They are not here to antagonize us. They are not the ones making us feel what we feel.

WE are the problem. We created the past-life karma that has given us this life, these family members, and those friends and experiences.

By reacting to situations and people, we create new karma which will result in yet again those same people, same circumstances, and same challenges in a future birth.

Confused? Don’t be. Think of karma in the same manner as the chicken and the egg situation; What came first?

Past-life karma is imprinted on our soul. [That is why we are not floating in the universe like souls free from all karma do]. That same past-life karma makes us act and behave in certain ways. This results in the creation of a whole new set of karma.

To prevent new karma and gradually negate existing karma, we must CHANGE how we react. If we keep doing the same thing over and over again, we cannot expect a different result.

Similarly, we must accept that WE and only WE are responsible – for the joy or pain we experience and the people we have or don’t have in our life. Once we accept that, then the next step is learning non-attachment. Non-attachment simply means letting go of our emotions and desires.

Lashing out feels good only for a short period of time. Feeling self-righteous also has a very short life-span. Lasting mental peace comes from non-reaction. It is a powerful practice in cultivating non-attachment. Instead of allowing our emotions to dictate our words, thoughts, and actions, we learn to simply LET SHIT GO.

You’re reading this and thinking “But how”. [Although, I think some of you are also thinking, what BS is this, lol. And that’s ok.]

The how is not easy, I will admit that. It is SO difficult to shut up when all you want to do is shut up the other person. But as I said earlier, if you want mental peace, you have to learn how.

For me, what works is reminding myself that I AM THE REASON FOR THIS [PERSON/SITUATION].

I remind myself of that throughout the day. Some days I just want to lash out and be the old me. But I have decided that I am not going to fall into that karmic trap. I am not a hamster on a wheel going nowhere. I am a living-breathing member of one of the most intelligent species on earth and I am darn well going to start behaving like one. By keeping my mouth shut, my mind clear, and my soul in focus.

So, there you have it. If you take away one thing from this blog, remember this phrase: “Be non-reactive. Learn non-attachment.”