In order to learn to tolerate emotions, I find that it helps to think of them as if you are standing in the ocean, facing out to sea, with the water at about your waistline, your back to the beach. Now imagine that a wave is coming towards you. You cannot stop it. You cannot get to shore. You have no choice but to deal with it. If you try to fight it, you’ll likely end up riding it longer. However, if you simply allow it to pass through, then you will rise up with it, and then it will place you back down at its own pace.
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“Detachment is not apathy or indifference. It is the prerequisite for effective involvement, often what one person thinks is best for others is distorted by his attachment to his opinions; he wants others to be happy in the way he thinks they should be happy. It is only when he wants nothing for himself that he is able to see clearly into others’ needs and understand how to serve them.” – Eknath Easwaran
