Shared by Oscar
Through meditation, I began to question how to accept negative emotions. Although wanting to be happy is a habit and being able to control what we are exposed to is the easy path. It is important to have an open mind that willingly accepts comfort and discomfort. Instead of having a mental diet and avoiding negative emotions and negativity in general, striving for acceptance of those feelings yields better understanding and peace when dealing with them. The goal is to ultimately achieve balance and acceptance to improve quality of life. At the same time, becoming less judgmental and connecting with others by feeling and understanding the same emotions we all go through. And to remember that as humans, we are allowed to feel all kinds of ways and don’t have to force ourselves to feel one specific way all the time.
Hakone Zendo 