Whatever terrible things may have happened to you, only one thing allows them to damage your core self, and that is continued belief in them.
Martha BeckRead
Bracketing has turned all my experiences, remembered and present, into a gallery of miracles where I wander around dazzled by the beauty of events I cannot explain.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Bracketing allows one to appreciate life's experiences as beautiful miracles, even if they are beyond explanation.
In this quote, Martha Beck reflects on the practice of bracketing, which is a technique that helps individuals separate their emotions and observations from their experiences. By doing so, she can appreciate the miraculous nature of life's events, seeing them as a gallery filled with beauty rather than just moments to understand or analyze. This perspective encourages a deeper sense of wonder and gratitude towards life’s complexities.
Themes
BracketingMiraclesExperiencesBeautyLife
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could inspire a meditation session focused on gratitude for life's small wonders.
More from Martha Beck
All quotes →Instead of fretting about getting everything done, why not simply accept that being alive means having things to do? Then drop into full engagement with whatever you're doing, and let the worry go.
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When fear makes your choices for you, no security measures on earth will keep the things you dread from finding you. But if you can avoid avoidance - if you can choose to embrace experiences out of passion, enthusiasm, and a readiness to feel whatever arises - then nothing, nothing in all this dangerous world, can keep you from being safe.
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To complete your daily mental hygiene, observe any part of you that is upset or anxious, and offer that part of yourself the following simple wishes: 'May you be well. May you be happy. May you be free from suffering.' Repeat this until you actually mean it.
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Something in the human psyche confuses beauty with the right to be loved. The briefest glance at human folly reveals that good looks and worthiness operate independently. Yet countless socializing forces, from Aunt Clara to the latest perfume ad, reinforce beliefs like 'If I were pretty enough, I would be loved.'
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Since our society equates happiness with youth, we often assume that sorrow, quiet desperation, and hopelessness go hand in hand with getting older. They don't. Emotional pain or numbness are symptoms of living the wrong life, not a long life.
Martha BeckRead
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