Can you name a few things that you really like? How about coming up with a couple things that you don’t? Now, which question was easier to answer?

Almost anything you can name is going to have some degree of either affinity or repulsion to it. Food, films, people, the latest styles of cars or clothing.

Quality of life comes down to a degree of orientation. Consistently moving our daily dance towards that which is more uplifting and enlivening makes for a better existence.

I’m not talking about this in terms of how algorithms feed us more of what we like. That’s simply juicing up our dopamine receptors. I’m talking more about what direction our inner child chooses to face when we are at peace with ourselves.

Speaking of children, it’s worth mentioning the value of boredom here. One of the gifts of growing up are the times when there is nothing better to do than be with oneself, that’s when we learn who we are.

There’s a famous quote attributed to Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel says “the opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.”

It’s a thought-provoking distinction. Hate is such a heavy burden to bear. It’s a similar vibration to holding a grudge or carrying a grievance. Life is so much lighter when you can just manage to let things go.

You might think of indifference as a protective layer for your consciousness. Why torture yourself with things that bring a negative or less-than-loving vibe into your life? You’ve probably encountered someone who loves to gnash their teeth at every little thing — it gets tedious.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting for a moment that you stop opposing any of the larger ills in our world. As individuals, we all have a particular point of leverage that we can exercise in our own unique way. But we need not be consumed by the darkness that we oppose. Take action, but orient yourself towards the light.

What brought this to mind was an exercise in my French class. I was asked to first describe a few things that I like, then come up with two that I déteste.

The first part was easy, but the second part was tricky. I didn’t want to include politics or world affairs, preferring to keep it to common touchstones that anyone could relate to. I considered things like pop culture, celebrities, books, movies, food.

In every category there are plenty of things I could care less about, but few worth taking an active disliking to. And besides, I might name something and find out it’s a classmate’s favorite!

I realized that when something is just not ‘my cup of tea’, I prefer to ignore, avoid, or simply remain indifferent to it. I like to save my energy for things I’m enthusiastic about.

At last I settled on two experiences that tend to test my patience. I can honestly say that being stuck in traffic or enduring a lengthy delay at an airport are both high on my list of things I detest.

In one direction you’ve got opportunities for enthusiasm. In the other you’ve got obstacles to your well being. Every moment let’s you choose which way to face.

Setting my compass with you, much love till next Monday!

Merci et à bientôt!

M+

ML #649

Mark Metz
Monday Love Movement Calendar