Just last week I started a Twitter account and although I haven’t really gotten the hang of it yet (Mr. MVP had to help me answer someone, which apparently is called @ responding), I did start reading posts by the Dalai Lama. Sorry, tweets, not posts.
These tweets got me thinking, which can be dangerous because that leads to research and I love research. We call it my research porn. It’s fantastic. The first tweet I read was from an account that was not a Dalai Lama “official” check-marked account which, I later learned is the way to decipher Twitter accounts of famous people from those of us who just wish we were famous. Anyway, the genius tweet is as follows:
“I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their own happiness or satisfaction.”
It just so happens I know some of these ignoramuses and they have been removed from my iPhone favorites. They are full of pretend kindness, the very worst persuasion. They believe they are improving the world by adding themselves into it, but, instead, they leave a trail of irritation and anxiety, never looking back to reflect on their actions. They are self involved, self serving, twin-headed ass zombies (thanks Foul-o-matic!).
So, what was I doing with all the anxious energy these people had given me over time? Worrying and fretting. I was having nightmares because of these people. The Dalai Lama is right, ignorance does cause suffering. I was ignorantly letting these morons let me suffer. I could have been spending my time focusing on important things, like, puppy videos, but instead I was wrapped up in what they thought about. I had made Twitter as dramatic as Facebook and I’d only been a member for five days.
After an extremely helpful phone call my research ended with HHDL’s friend, Buddha. This took me outside Twitter’s blue bird to a blog with a post on how to handle difficult people from the teachings of Karma Kagyu a school of Tibetan Buddhism. The teaching says:
“Everybody has the Buddha nature and Buddha qualities from which you can learn. So try to find something interesting in everybody you meet. If this is difficult, think of something you like about them. If this does not work, be grateful to them for teaching you patience. If this is not possible, think that you have to spend only a couple of minutes or hours with them, while they have to be with themselves for 24 hours each day. If you still have difficulties dealing with them, try to avoid them and wish them all the best of luck very far away from you.”
It hit me smack in the face, I don’t owe them anything. No time, no lost sleep, and no discussions. They have to live with themselves and their sucky decisions and as long as they stay very far away from me I can worry about something far more important, like if I’m going to start following Foodie Buddha or Garden and Gun Magazine.
About The Author
Nicole
Member of Team VP, knitter and Mama to Blue and Franks. Life, is bloody good.
