April 3
Things do not touch the soul; they stand outside, unmoved. Our disturbances come solely from the opinion within.
Meditations V,19 (freely rendered)
Listening mode
Things do not touch the soul; they stand outside, unmoved. Our disturbances come solely from the opinion within.
A sentence said in passing during a meeting can stay with you into the night. It was spoken once. You repeat it, check the tone, fill in what might have been meant. At some point it is longer than the whole conversation.
Then you notice that the sentence itself stopped doing anything long ago. You are the one doing the work. Realising this can be a relief. But it can also stir up a second unease: if you are the one keeping the sentence awake, surely you ought to be able to simply let it go. That you can't becomes a new reproach, this time against yourself.
Noticing where your unease comes from, though, is not the same as holding it against yourself. The first makes it easier to see through. The second just hands it one more sentence you can repeat in the night, in the same scrutinising tone.
Perhaps you lie awake a while longer anyway. By now the sentence sounds a good deal like you.
