“Life is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it. Nothing ever sums itself up in the way that we like to dream about. The off-center, in-between state is an ideal situation, a situation in which we don’t get caught and we can open our hearts and minds beyond limit. It’s a very tender, non-aggressive, open-ended state of affairs.
To stay with that shakiness—to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness and wanting to get revenge—that is the path of true awakening. Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path. Getting the knack of catching ourselves, of gently and compassionately catching ourselves is the path of the warrior (without resentment, judgment, bitterness).
Every day we could reflect on the aggression in the world (…and how leads to more pain). And every day we could ask ourselves, “Am I going to add to the aggression in the world?” Every day at the moment when things get edgy, we can just ask ourselves, “Am I going to practice peace, or am I going to war?” – Pema Chödrön
From When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times