By Eknath Easwaran
“Great emergencies and crises show us how much greater our vital resources are than we had supposed.”
–William James
Few human beings are born with the ability to weather storm and stress with grace. But everyone can learn. We can’t control the weather outside, but we can control how we respond. Like one of those modern ocean liners that sail majestically through rough waters, we can install stabilizers where we need them – not outside ourselves, of course, but in the mind.
For it is in the mind that the storms of life really blow. What matters is not so much the turmoil outside us as the weather within. To a person with an agitated mind, something as minor as a rude driver can cause enough stress to ruin a day. By contrast I think of Mahatma Gandhi, who gave himself away when he confessed, “I love storms.” Gandhi began life as a timid child, but he learned to keep his mind so steady that he could face tremendous crises with courage, compassion, wisdom, and even a sense of humor.
Fortunately, we don’t have to develop these capacities. We already have them. The problem is that we need a calm mind to draw on them. When the mind is agitated or confused, they’re simply locked up inside. That is the practical importance of a calm mind.
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