________________
22
Unlimited Horizons
our problems with us. We'll inevitably meet our problems there again, - only in different guises.
Similarly we cannot escape fear by avoiding situations we believe will produce fear. This merely directs this negative emotion towards other situations, persons or objects. Only by courageously confronting our fears and thus realizing how unnecessary they are, will we be free of them.
How to get rid of unwanted events Again this is easier than most people think.
The key moment is the very moment our attention confronts an event or a stimulus for the first time. This is the brief initial period where we become aware of the stimulus, but our emotions are not yet triggered.
At this particular point in time we often can freely decide how to respond to a stimulation.
As long as we feel no emotional reaction to the event, we are not yet bound to its theme.
If we now decide to follow a different (positive) line of impulses or thoughts, or refrain from reinforcing a negative emotional reaction, we detach ourselves from this type of situation.
During this brief period when everything is still open, we have the power to end unwanted events for good.
One practical example: We persistently feel irritated in the presence of a particular person. Yet at the very start of each meeting with him or her, there always is that brief initial period during which we are not yet irritated. If we - at this point in time - decide to maintain distance and equanimity,
