Hello my friend,

This world is full of madness. Anger, cruelty, mindlessness, immaturity, jealousy, and hatred are in no short supply. This kind of insanity seems to be the most highly renewable resource there is.

So, why are we going around reacting to other people’s insanity — defending ourselves, fighting back, and letting them drive us crazy? To fight with a crazy person makes us even crazier than they are.

Other people will be unhappy and they will take out their unhappiness on anyone they come across. That’s their business.

Your #1 job is to keep their misery off of you. Keep their pressure off of you. Don’t pick up their baggage and give it to someone else. 

The way we do that is we make ourselves the end of the cycle. We break the chain of karma. We don’t feed crazy with our energy. We let it burn out like a dying star. Sometimes they explode when they run out of fuel. Our job isn’t to prevent that. Our job is to keep a safe distance — mentally, physically, or both.

Engaging with madness might not seem like a big deal. Afterall, we want to get the last word in, set the record straight, or change their mind. But it is life and death — to live joyfully or to die a little every day while we’re still alive.

Don’t let them bring you down. Don’t go down to their level. Stay present. Stay aware of your breath, heart rate, and tension in the body. That’s it. Don’t engage even mentally. Just stay in your body. The wisdom of the body is far greater than the intellect of the mind. The body is always present; the mind is always stirring up trouble. It does no good to use the mind’s intellect for understanding and dealing with someone who isn’t using their own. You’ll respond better and with more clarity when you’re calm and in your body than when two egos are shouting back and forth.

Your peace of mind and happiness are the most important things — the only determining factor for a good life.

They win when you lose it. The only way to win with someone like that isn’t making the best argument or comeback. It’s by refusing to play.

Stay peaceful. Stay happy. They really can’t stand that.

Much love,

Todd