• About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Our Leadership
    • ADF: A Druid Fellowship
    • Photos
  • Services
  • Calendar
  • Resources & Social Justice
  • Membership
  • Blogs
    • Prairie Tidings (Church Blog)
    • Rev. Badger's 2019 Stoic Blog
    • The Practical Bard (Rev. Missy's Blog)
    • Little Druid on the Prairie (Rev. Lauren's Blog)
  • Policies
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Our Leadership
    • ADF: A Druid Fellowship
    • Photos
  • Services
  • Calendar
  • Resources & Social Justice
  • Membership
  • Blogs
    • Prairie Tidings (Church Blog)
    • Rev. Badger's 2019 Stoic Blog
    • The Practical Bard (Rev. Missy's Blog)
    • Little Druid on the Prairie (Rev. Lauren's Blog)
  • Policies
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
Mountain Ancestors Grove, ADF

A Year of Contemplation

Impossible Without Your Consent (Day 77)

3/18/2019

 
I remember when I was first starting to check out Buddhism. I was in my very early 20’s, and back then in New Orleans, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity for that kind of thing. The thing I remember most was the common teaching, paraphrased below: 

No one can make you feel a certain kind of way. That’s all on you. 

I remember my early 20’s self. How young and ignorant. HA! I remember how foolish the idea of “no one making you feel” sounded. I asked the master, “What if someone says hurtful things to you and you end up feeling bad?” I followed up with, “What if it’s your mother?” before he had a chance to reply to the first question. 

He looked at me with the kind of kind face that comes from years of practice, and an equal amount of time listening to dipshit students who believe they know everything… and after a while, he said: 

“They only offer the words and circumstances. Ultimately, you’re the one who accepts what they’re offering, and carries those shitty things around with you. Don’t pick that shit up. Who wants to carry around a pocket full of someone elses shit?”

“Don’t pick that shit up.” Really? That’s all you got for me, man? 

Looking back on that day now, I see how right he was, and much of a little asshole I was. We are not the victims of our circumstances… unless we let ourselves become victims. 

In my time teaching martial arts, I used to tell students that victims are, “people who have no longer have choices”. As long as we can choose, we’re not victims (in the philosophical sense). 

We cannot control our circumstances, or the things that others say. We can, however, control what happens in ourselves. We allow ourselves to become stressed, or frustrated, or overwhelmed. Not others. 

The cause of all that strife is within us. We just blame it on others when they give us an excuse to do so. 

Rise above. Don't walk around with a pocket full of someone else's shit. 

(See y’all tomorrow) 
Maria
3/19/2019 06:53:16 am

He was right AND you were not an asshole (or a dipshit). It takes time to undo the habits of as lifetime.


Comments are closed.

    About the Blog

    Awakening the desire to explore Stoicism, and how it relates to his existing beliefs, Rev. William committed to working through the text, The Daily Stoic, a year-long journey to awaken the Stoic mind. 
    How things are structured can be found in the first post. 

    About the Author

    Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Rev. William attended Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado where in 2007 he graduated with a degree in Religious Studies, minoring in Psychology. Currently residing in Longmont, CO, he is one of the Priests and founder of Mountain Ancestors Grove.  He spends his time playing mandolin (and some guitar), writing, engaging in LGBTQIA+ advocacy and education, community service, and sharing a larger vision of how a polytheist perspective can lead to greater human understanding, acceptance, and gods be good, peace. 

    Archives

    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.