What other option do you have besides relaxing and having faith?
Fretting, worrying and seething.
But why on earth would you choose that?
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twitter.com/thecloudsaint/ one hypothetical reason
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There is some use in occasionally looking upon terrible misfortunes—such as might happen to us—as though they had actually happened, for then the trivial reverses which subsequently come in reality, are much easier to bear. It is a source of consolation to look back upon those...
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was reading something about stoicism the other day and stumbled upon a concept called "premeditatio malorum," which is basically this.
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In a sense, I don't really know if this is actually an important step. It's like progressive muscle relaxation—when you tense your muscles, then let go and feel the contrast of the relaxation. But in this, you are always dependent on, or attached to, the tension...you know?
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There is a level of relaxation beyond the need for that contrast or attachment—what Zen, Taoism and tantra are all about. The relaxation of a cat, a tree, or water... They don't need to bother with the premeditative tension. That is the supreme relaxation, the natural state.
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I think the point of this exercise would be to prepare oneself to be relaxed when reality hits. Like some combination of mental reversal & aversion therapy in your own mind.
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Oh yes, it's definitely a useful approach. I feel it has much to do with the saying, "better a warrior in a garden than a gardener in war."
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