Bring awareness to the many subtle sounds of nature - The rustling of leaves in the wind, Raindrops falling, The humming of an insect, The first birdsong at dawn.
Eckhart TolleRead
Once you have identified with some form of negativity, you do not want to let it go, and on a deeply unconscious level, you do not want positive change. It would threaten your identity as a depressed, angry or hard-done by person. You will then ignore, deny or sabotage the positive in your life. This is a common phenomenon. It is also insane.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People often cling to negative identities, resisting positive change that could threaten their established self-perception.
In this quote, Eckhart Tolle discusses the psychological struggle people face when they identify with negative emotions such as anger or depression. This identification can create a resistance to positive change, as it threatens the individual's current sense of self. Tolle highlights the irrational nature of this phenomenon, suggesting that it is common yet ultimately destructive, leading individuals to sabotage their own potential happiness and growth.
Themes
NegativityIdentityChangeSabotagePsychology
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a mental health workshop to illustrate the importance of letting go of negative identities.
More from Eckhart Tolle
All quotes →Body awareness not only anchors you in the present moment, it is a doorway out of the prison that is the ego. It also strengthens the immune system and the body’s ability to heal itself.
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Whenever you become anxious or stressed, outer purpose has taken over, and you lost sight of your inner purpose. You have forgotten that your state of consciousness is primary, all else secondary.
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Nothing that was real ever died, only names, forms, and illusions.
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Suffering has a noble purpose: the evolution of consciousness and the burning up of the ego.
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Sometimes surrender means giving up trying to understand and becoming comfortable with not knowing.
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