JP’s Reviews > The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to Be Calm in a Busy World > Status Update

Being Right Isn’t Important; Being Happy Together Is
“Maturity comes with experience. One lesson of maturity is that we should not take our thoughts too seriously, and must learn to curb our ego and see the bigger picture.

Being right isn’t nearly as important as being happy together.”

Only when we know how to control this overflowing passion can we work harmoniously and effectively with others. Only then can we effectively share our enthusiasm with those around us.

In our excitement, we make the mistake of equating our own eagerness with effectiveness. Getting the job done well is more important than one’s feelings of doing a good job. It takes wisdom to discern that these two are not always related. In some cases, one’s zealous efforts can get in the way of achieving the desired outcome, especially if one is unable to see the needs of the others working toward it together.

Types of Affinities
1. repaying kindness
2. seeking revenge
3. repaying a debt
4. collecting a debt

Vipassana, "to see things as they really are," an ancient Indian mindfulness technique that uses self-observation to explore the mind-body connection. By focusing on physical sensations, practitioners learn to observe thoughts & feelings without judgment or reaction, reducing mental suffering and promoting equanimity.

Remember that you are neither your feelings nor the story your mind tells about you to make sense of them.

Karmic affinity refers to a spiritual or energetic bond between people, beliefs, or circumstances that is rooted in past actions or past lives. It is the idea that the connections, strong attractions, and even conflicts you experience today are the result of "sowing and reaping" across different lifetimes.

When You Are Feeling Low
“Quietly observe the feeling without trying to change it. It will change on its own.

As if gazing at a tree in the backyard, as if sitting by a river and watching the water flow by, quietly observe your feelings as if they are external to you. If you observe your feelings in this way for just three minutes, you will notice their energy and texture slowly changing.”

Befriend Your Emotion
“Instead of diving into the muddy water of your emotion as a way to conquer it, you should observe it from the outside and let it settle down and transform on its own.”

Hard pill to swallow:
Spirituality must be practiced
not just in solitude but also among people.
Open up to people around you and feel connected.
This is the true challenge of spiritual practice.