If we don’t protest against the mind’s pretexts, we will never pass life’s tests.

When faced with life’s difficulties, especially those requiring us to persevere through unpleasant challenges, our mind often generates pretexts to avoid effort. Thoughts like this is too difficult, this will never work, or why is life so unfair? arise, distracting us from addressing the reality at hand.

While such thoughts may sometimes have a basis in reason, the fact remains that the situation has already arrived, and we must deal with it. Resenting life or acting like helpless victims won’t change reality. It is essential to see these mental justifications for what they are: excuses to avoid engaging with life.

Life is not always fair, and it may feel unfair even when it isn’t. Regardless, we must face reality. The Bhagavad Gita (18.37) reminds us that we often need to endure the bitter phases of life to attain the sweet fruits of growth and fulfillment.

If life’s difficulties are like tests, then resenting the “questions” only wastes time. During an exam, the best approach is to focus on answering the questions, not to lament their difficulty or unfairness. Similarly, when the mind raises objections or pretexts, we must at least begin by protesting against them, refusing to let them become our excuses for inaction.

Of course, protesting is only the beginning. Eventually, we must resist and reject these mental distractions. However, this process starts with recognizing that the mind’s arguments often deserve pushback. Without this recognition, we cannot move toward a more constructive response.

Guided by higher principles and purposes, as outlined in wisdom texts like the Bhagavad Gita, we can gain the clarity and strength needed to reject the mind’s distractions. A higher vision provides us with something far more valuable to say yes to, making it easier to say no to the mind’s excuses.

Summary:

  • Life’s challenges often trigger the mind to generate pretexts to avoid effort or engagement.
  • Resenting difficulties, like a student resenting test questions, leads to failure and worsens the situation.
  • By focusing on higher principles and purposes, we can gain the clarity and momentum to protest, resist, and eventually reject the mind’s pretexts as distractions.

Think it over:

  • What metaphor can help you expose the futility of the mind’s opinions about life’s challenges?
  • Recollect a situation when you were driven by a higher purpose or principle, enabling you to say no to your mind.
  • Contemplate a challenging situation where your mind is exacerbating the difficulty. Identify a higher principle or purpose that can help you tackle your mind more effectively.

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18.37 That which in the beginning may be just like poison but at the end is just like nectar and which awakens one to self-realization is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness.