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April 2nd

BE WARY OF WHAT YOU LET IN

“Drama, combat, terror, numbness, and subservience—every day

these things wipe out your sacred principles, whenever your mind

entertains them uncritically or lets them slip in.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 10.9

ow much harder is it to do the right thing when you’re surrounded by
people with low standards? How much harder is it to be positive and
empathetic inside the negativity bubble of television chatter? How much
harder is it to focus on your own issues when you’re distracted with other
people’s drama and conflict?
We’ll inevitably be exposed to these influences at some point, no matter
how much we try to avoid them. But when we are, there is nothing that says
we have to allow those influences to penetrate our minds. We have the
ability to put our guard up and decide what we actually allow in. Uninvited
guests might arrive at your home, but you don’t have to ask them to stay for
dinner. You don’t have to let them into your mind.