Don't Let Their Mood Become Yours
The wisdom of inner stability
“Be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop.”
— Rumi
We inherit the energy of those around us.
We take on their stress, sadness, or anger like it's our own.
It's hard to stay bright when someone near you is dark.
They are stuck in the quicksand, and instead of offering a hand, we sink with them.
But this is not an external problem. It's an internal one.
We are not victims of their energy — we choose to absorb it.
When you protect your inner world from the outer one, both improve.
The Unwanted Gift
A parable from Buddhist teachings
A man once verbally abused the Buddha.
The Buddha calmly asked, “If someone gives you a gift and you do not accept it, to whom does the gift belong?”
The man replies, “To the one who offered it.”
The Buddha responds, “Then I do not accept your abuse.”
Protecting Your Inner World from the Outer One
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.” — Viktor Frankl
It's natural to blame others for how they make us feel — to feel negatively toward them.
You've ruined my mood!
This is not reasonable. They're dealing with their own troubles right now. They don't need negativity and blame; they need calmness and tranquillity.
A wise man wouldn’t absorb another’s sadness and then blame them for how he feels.
That’s unreasonable. That’s reactive.
He would sit with their pain, consider what he can offer, and respond with care.
He would not jump into the quicksand to save his friend.
He would stay in his peace, root himself deep into the ground, and do whatever was possible to rescue them.
The Wisdom of Inner Stability
It’s a hard truth: the moment we blame others for how we feel, we hand them the keys to our peace.
Wisdom is knowing you are in control, and that nobody can throw you off kilter.
It's learning how to push your roots deep into the ground and be independent of your surroundings — that nobody can affect your internal state but you!
And maturing is realising that when someone is emotional, the best thing you can do (for both of you) is remain true to yourself.
They don't need themselves in that moment; they need you.
Sincerely,
eren
Music of the Week
I heard these songs while vintage shopping in here in Melbourne, and have been rinsing them ever since. Always good to keep your ear out for good music — and I know God is real because it’s a true holy miracle that we have the Shazam app.
Alt / Rock / Pop —> Turnstile is my new favourite band. Great fun music with an edge.
Rock / Soft rock —> A great song. Album originally from the 80s and has that raw and analogue but soothing sound to it. Lovely song!
Downtempto / Trip-hop —> I saw a guy wearing a Massive Attack shirt which reminded me of this track. Feels like a Saturday in a bath in the forest or something. If you like it, check out ‘Mandalay’ as well.
Because we only know our own thoughts, we are often intolerant of others' actions.
Because we only know our own thoughts, we do not know what others are dealing with.
Because we only know our own thoughts, we can only control what we do.
Because we only know our own thoughts, we know our own struggles.
Because we only know our own thoughts, why would we not choose compassion?