Consider this: "Negative feelings are not true feelings at all; rather, they are your thoughts about something, based always on the previous experience of yourself and others.
You will not find Truth in your past data, only past data that is based on other past data that is based on other past data, and so forth. Forget your "past experience" and look directly at the experience you are having Right Here, Right Now.
There is your Truth."
Blessings
The Sage2010-07-30T17:25:50Z
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Rob, you make a very good point because of the way I hear what you are expressing. We tend to retain "negative" feelings which cannot do anything other than makes us feel gloomy and cynical about ourselves and others. Retaining past experiences only prevents us from enjoying ourselves in the present.
Living in the present allow us to look at situations as they are, without coloring them with our past experiences. Living in such a way makes it easier to deal with whatever we are doing at the present moment. We see things as they are, without being influenced by fears, anger, desires or attachments from the experiences of the past. We miss a lot of opportunities when we take our eyes off what is happening, as you say, "right now".
The now is what really matters to live a stress free life. Thank you for pointing this out.
If negative feelings are not feelings at all then neither are positive feelings feelings at all. I wouldn't agree with that. While the feeling may be based upon past experience and the wrong take on it, it remains a feeling. I would define negative feelings as those which take us further from the truth/joy that is our true nature. As Spinoza pointed out, 'Suffering is our movement from a greater truth toward a lesser truth. Joy is our movement from a lesser truth towards a greater truth,' or something like that. That's been my own experience. Namaste'
Your thoughts are right and good. Even though we take too long staring at the door thats closed before us that we miss all the others that are opening up right now. But, its easy said than done my friend.
One has to move very fast and far away from these 'negative feelings' to separate one self from them. I agree, in order to create this distance, leaving and/or forgetting the past one has to actually be able to make the move forward. But, sometimes its not so easy to move forward especially when you seem stuck in the past and theres not much to look forward to in the present. Sometimes, these 'feelings' are not even yours to begin with but are given to you by someone else. I see negative feelings as a poison or swamp because when you step in, it takes you deeper into an abyss of darkness. Even if you find your way out, theres all this 'stuff' that on you that speaks of your 'swamp'. Sometimes, 'negative feelings' can come snarling out of no where because somewhere and somehow, something was triggered and stirred up quiet an emotional storm inside and boom you're that same old person again at the same old place. I also agree w/ Kuma (the answer above) that wars, fights, murders are the very cause of these 'negative feelings' so in a sense they can be very real. I personally wish that somehow one can remove the old negatives and become new and fresh again. (out of the swamp) ;)
So, how does one move past these 'negative feelings' when you are still attached to your past experiences ? De-attaching yourself from everything. Experiencing the present and letting fear and pain go. Its all a transition in the mind that has to change. 'Change your thoughts and you change your world'.
If negative feelings are not real, they may as well be. Negative feelings have caused wars, crimes, and social unrest. So what is this "unreal" negative feeling of yours? It is a refusal of the mind to truly accept reality as it is. Since this refusal is basically unhealthy, and the mind (at some level) is aware of this, these feelings can give birth to a murderous intent. The mind will lash out, rather than have to face the truth of its own cowardliness. It is only by the continuous practice of accepting ourselves as we are and accepting what is as it is, can we ever hope to come to some type of true sanity.