If we want to progress on our way to becoming more aware, we need to meet resistance. External (and internal) circumstances that seem to try and stop us are in fact the gym where we train our spiritual muscles. No muscles without resistance. We wouldn't have any muscles if there wasn't any gravity. That is what astronauts in space experience: everything is weightless and can be moved without any effort, so the astronauts lose their muscles and have to have special workouts.
So whenever I meet something annoying or really disturbing I try to accept that as a possibility to strengthen my spiritual muscles. It is not always easy, I admit, but: "That is the way", as the Mandalorian say.
To stay with the metaphor of muscles: occasionally after a strenuous activity one feels pain in muscles one didn't even know existed. I think it is the same with what we feel when certain external circumstances block our way. Suddenly we're aware of negative feelings (annoyance, anger, self-pity, disappointment etc.) we thought we had left behind us because we have trained diligently. But no, there is this little muscle twitching angrily. So it is back to work.
If we want to progress on our way to becoming more aware, we need to meet resistance. External (and internal) circumstances that seem to try and stop us are in fact the gym where we train our spiritual muscles. No muscles without resistance. We wouldn't have any muscles if there wasn't any gravity. That is what astronauts in space experience: everything is weightless and can be moved without any effort, so the astronauts lose their muscles and have to have special workouts.
So whenever I meet something annoying or really disturbing I try to accept that as a possibility to strengthen my spiritual muscles. It is not always easy, I admit, but: "That is the way", as the Mandalorian say.
To stay with the metaphor of muscles: occasionally after a strenuous activity one feels pain in muscles one didn't even know existed. I think it is the same with what we feel when certain external circumstances block our way. Suddenly we're aware of negative feelings (annoyance, anger, self-pity, disappointment etc.) we thought we had left behind us because we have trained diligently. But no, there is this little muscle twitching angrily. So it is back to work.
It is always back to work. It keeps us humble.