Not Actually Zen
"Life rewards those who move in the direction of greatest courage." -
I look at a lot of things like I'm Wesley and life is the Dread Pirate Rogers. "Good night Wesley, good work, sleep well, I'll most likely kill you in the morning." Then I wake up realizing I have one more day with X (job, partner, friend, roof, health), as a precious gift, not something I can take for granted. I admit the metaphor breaks down: most of the things I look at this way are great, whereas the Dread Pirate Roberts was kind of an abusive punk.
This is not a pessimistic outlook. This does not result in clutching desperation, but the realization that I can do without a ton of stuff and still be OK, or maybe even better off. If you throw out most of your cards, even decent cards, you shuffle more often, and play your best cards more often. You heard it here first: I have turned Dominion deck trimming and cycling into a life strategy.
Did you hear about Rejection Therapy? It's a cute self-help fad.
- YOU MUST BE REJECTED BY ANOTHER PERSON AT LEAST ONCE, EVERY SINGLE DAY.
- A REJECTION ATTEMPT COUNTS IF YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
- A REJECTION COUNTS IF YOUR REQUEST IS DENIED
- A REJECTION ATTEMPT SHOULD PUT YOU IN A POSITION OF VULNERABILITY, BUT ALLOW THE RESPONDENT TO BE IN A POSITION OF POWER
- THE RESPECT AND FEELINGS OF THE PERSON OR PARTY YOU ARE MAKING A REQUEST TO ARE PARAMOUNT. CONSIDER THEM FIRST.
It is unclear whether a rejection counts if it meets one criteria, or must meet all of them.
Your mileage may vary, but perhaps this would not only inure you to your fear, but create opportunities. Every attempt at anything is a potential failure. With more attempts come more failures, but also more successes. Go into everything for what you hope to gain, not fear of loss. You don't want to look back on your life and say "I took as few risks as possible, and look! Nothing happened to me!"
That's just what worries me. Arrange your life based on what you fear to lose, and nothing will happen to you, too.
I try to avoid the word "zen" as a vague reference to a peaceful state of mind. It's possible that this popular usage constitutes cultural appropriation. The meaning is much more specific. In reality, Zen is a religion.
It was founded by the prophet Zen. He walked the earth 2,000 years ago in China, working miracles, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and snacking on puffed embryos, until he was crucified on a yin-yang. To this day, his followers pass around bowls of puffed embryos, or in some denominations, Embryo KrispieTM treats. It is one of the world's beautiful religious heritages.
Hey, lay off. My heart gives me "inner knowledge" of these truths. That's the deal-- that's how faith works. Excuse me, I meant to say my Truth. I almost forgot to capitalize it there.
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