Robert and I have been speaking on Resistance and Appreciation these days. It is the essence of our challenge, both to ourselves and the world at large. We know we live within the shell of an egoic human, but we do have the capacity to understand what can become of our natures if we allow the inevitable shift to take place now. Robert has sent me a wonderful response to this and to the specter of doom that seems to be hovering over much of the world.
“In response to the downward spiraling, doomsday attitude of many human reactionaries, there is another option. It is to see the upward spiral of your own DNA. Take this attitude—as faith—and be blessed.”
— from Letters from 500, Portal
The Opposite of Appreciation
In book one of Letters from 500, O writes “resistance is the opposite of appreciation.” As we look at the world today, we can see a whole lot more resistance than appreciation. A prime example is in politics. ‘How much appreciation do we see in politics? How much resistance?’
Resistance in and of itself is not a bad thing. Just like pain, it can be a wake-up call. When we feel resistant, it’s a chance to stop and look around, smell the roses. Sistere, in Latin, means ‘to stop’; that’s the root of ‘resist’. Once we step back from our immersion in resistance, we immediately start to appreciate. The more we look, the more we appreciate. This is the beginning of wisdom and of being who we really are, that is, our authenticity and Source. Actions taken from there will be truly powerful, unlike those taken out of resistance.
Stefan told me this morning of a revelation he had, concerning emotions. To paraphrase what he said, there is a balance point between positive and negative emotions. It is like a portal into deeper understanding. Feeling all sides of any emotion—the good, bad and middle—makes it a much richer experience. When we do that, we stop and step back from our identification with the form (emotion). We release ourselves from it and no longer have to react unconsciously. As we let go our resistance, we see through to the other side, which is freedom, which is our true, appreciative nature.
Copyright © 2011 by Robert Lee Potter
Letters From 500 