Struggling to find time to read even though I have a ton of readings to do this semester BOO. Currently juggling between 2 books on my kindle - a chinese novel and this book called "The subtle art of not giving a f*ck" that was recommend by Josh.
Not sure if I subscribe to some ideas of the author, but here are some quotes.
"Ironically, this fixation on the positive - on what's better, what's superior - only serves to remind us over and over again of what we are not, of what we lack, of what we should have been but failed to be. After all, no truly happy person feels the need to stand in front of a mirror and recite that she's happy. She just is."
"Or you're so worried about doing the right thing all the time that you become worried about how much you're worrying. Or you feel so guilty for every mistake you make that you begin to feel guilty about how guilty you're feeling. Or you get sad and alone so often that it makes you feel even more sad and alone just thinking about it."
"The desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one's negative experience is itself a positive experience."
^ not sure what to feel about the above statement, because I've always thought that acceptance of one's negative experience means you're resigned to fate in a way, and how is it a positive experience when you are not doing anything to improve on the situation?? Or how is a desire for more positive experience negative because I thought it is good to strive for more??
Perhaps you could share your thoughts here haha let me know.
maybe because when you're so determined to do the right thing, you get obsessed over it. and like you constantly worry over what is right and what is wrong (so that you dont do the wrong thing) and it stresses you out.. or maybe you start hating yourself for not doing the politically correct thing even though its totally fine to do so (cause not everyone have to think a certain way)
ReplyDeleteso in a way, when you want to do what's right (positive experience), it actually causes you greater unhappiness because of too much expectations (negative experience)
and then accepting your negative experience may be something like accepting who you are (e.g. you think you're fat/ugly/unlikable/etc, which in this case is your negative experience, but actually you're not as bad as you think you are and you just gotta learn how to love yourself, to make it a more "positive experience" for yourself/mental health)