we made have faded into acquaintances. Anyway, there
are many quicker, easier, better ways to make friends. But
there are few quicker, easier, better ways make enemies.
We should use the GENTLE ART OF LET-
TING ALONE.
Over-involvement in too many causes diffuses
our time, dissipates our energies and disorganizes our lives.
We do not have to accept every task, shoulder every re-
sponsibility, assume every burden which may.be offered
us or even thrust upon us. We must do as recommended
in Chapter 19: PUSH OUR WHEELBARROW UPSIDE
DOWN or people will throw their burdens into it, thus
making them our burdens. If we go about, collecting bur-
dens at random, we shall soon break under their weight.
Nobody made us General Manager of the Uni-
verse and we do not have to accept the responsibilities of
personally solving many, if any, of its vast problems. Nor
are we required to worry about how others (who have
been elected, selected or employed for such purpose) man-
age situations which only remotely affect us, if at all. Cer-
tainly, we should not plunge physically or even mentally
into every crisis which does not involve us. There will be
enough which do.
We need to learn and to practice the GENTLE
ART OF LETTING ALONE.
Now, how about the other way in which we
initiate our own troubles?
(2) Unnecessary reaction or over-reaction:
Almost everybody has a built-in instinct to
react. Human reaction is not always a cause of trouble.