When a leech bites us, we may be panic-struck to sense its tentacles sucking our blood. If we impulsively try to pull it out, it may have such a strong grip that we will end up pulling out a sizeable part of our own skin. If, however, we just stay calm and let the leech do its work, its tubules are not infinite; it can’t suck all our blood. Once its tubule is filled, it will itself let go and we can flick it off.
Similarly, when problems attack us, we may aggravate them by impulsive over-reactions. For example, when a loved one speaks critically about us, we may go on a counter-rampage, blurting out the terrible things we feel they have done. Thus, a minor misunderstanding may snowball into a major confrontation that leaves an intimate relationship fractured or even ruptured.
When whatever we do to resolve a problem aggravates it, we need to recognize that problem to be a leech – it just needs to be tolerated. The Bhagavad-gita (02.14) recommends such tolerance, grounded in the understanding that life’s dualities are inevitable but ephemeral.
To increase our tolerance level, we need to raise our spiritual awareness. When we meditate that we are at our core indestructible, we experience profound inner security. That security pacifies the sense of being threatened which makes us overreact to provocations.
What if some problems aren’t like leeches – what if they just don’t let go of us? Don’t we need to do something to resolve them? Yes, tolerance doesn’t necessarily mean doing nothing; it primarily means not doing the first thing that comes into our mind. If we tolerate our first reaction, our intelligence will soon spring into action to give us a clearer perspective of things. With that perspective, we can choose the best response to the problem.
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