“Letting Go” of “Be Right”
By Allen Imbarrato
Usually, our minds are trying to protect us from a future that will not recreate our past pain and suffering. By worrying about avoiding a possible future loss, failure, or disappointment, we occupy our thoughts with ways to control others or situations to make them go the way we think they should go. Or, by anticipating how things might go wrong, we feel anxious and think of ways to avoid the possible pain. Either way, we are trying to control what we will feel or change the way we do feel.
By learning to "let go" of these worrying and anxious thoughts and feelings, we can arrive back to be more creative and happy in the present. It is easier said than done, though, as there is a tendency to "Be Right" and hold on to our viewpoint. We can get stuck on believing that our past grievances against one person will happen again with this new person. We gather evidence that the new person is just like the old person to be right and trying to stay in control.
However, we are missing being present to notice how each moment is fresh and alive and how it might differ from our past. So by letting go of trying to "Be Right" and seeking ways to control the person or ourselves, we can discover a new possibility and perhaps find a new result.