hidden image

Insight of ‘Letting Go’

P. A. Joseph P. A. Joseph
11 Sep 2023

We come across a number of realities on our way. Many of these we are aware of, but many things we are not aware, not even conscious of. It is interesting to have a look into these. Some of the realities are to be ignored rather than challenged. Often I am wounded in the past, and I carry over the negative memories lifelong. Sometimes I say I am half-right, but that is equal to being half-wrong; this I am not free to accept. This is also regarding my relationship with my companions. I will do well to accept these with an open heart; that in some way solves my problem. 

I need an open heart space in both positive and negative aspects. I need to develop a sense of art, dance, love of relationship, friends, nature, poetry, games, healthy sex relations etc. In Taoism and Buddhism there is an exercise or approach called “letting go”. This instructs not to take everything too seriously, but have a vision of freedom, and a relaxed manner to approach. It is not ignoring the issue or the problem but to approach in a mindful way. We cannot have absolute control over everything; we may have only political control, or rather diplomatic control; it may be beyond our reach; Look at a tree, a small one, but as it grows tall, it is open to face powerful winds; but the tree gets used to it and grows stronger and even taller. The heavy load of wind and rain on the top does not affect the bottom at all. In a way it enjoys the mild vibrations and it grows stouter and stronger. 

Another point to reflect is to give space to oneself and equally to others. Embrace change and accept changes taking place outside; Simply move along with others; this will give opportunities for positive living; I need not fight against my weakness; but allow things to happen; not too much to focus on outcome and to worry about the future; but stress on the present that alone is true and under my control; the world is not under our control; in a way nothing we can change or control materially or even emotionally; even for the passions  of love, anger, jealousy, etc. we  can have only political control; We cannot think of what others think of me; what others feel about me; I cannot enter into it; “let it go”;  but I must maintain my awareness of all these; that is my wisdom; forgetting the past especially the negative ones is a mature approach. 

Recent Posts

India's ambitious overhaul of its labour law architecture—by consolidating 29 existing laws into four comprehensive Labour Codes—is projected as a landmark reform intended to simplify compliance, prom
apicture Jose Vattakuzhy
01 Dec 2025
Across India, workers and unions are resisting labour codes that dismantle decades of hard-won rights. As corporate elites are celebrated, labourers face exclusion, precarity and silencing. The battle
apicture Prakash Louis
01 Dec 2025
I have always considered myself a temple-goer. That description may seem inadequate, for my journeys have taken me from the southern tip of the subcontinent to the Himalayan foothills, tracing not mer
apicture A. J. Philip
01 Dec 2025
Sixteen BLO deaths in three weeks expose the brutal human cost of an impossible SIR timeline. As overworked field staff collapse under pressure, the Election Commission denies responsibility, and an a
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
01 Dec 2025
Two Jesuit moments, a century apart, reveal a stark contrast: courage that welcomed Gandhi, and caution that silenced a Stan Swamy lecture. As we mark the feast of St. Xavier, we are asked not to judg
apicture Fr. Sebastian James, SJ
01 Dec 2025
O Father of India, on this sacred day, Not in prayer of sorrow do we gather, For your light is still dancing in our hearts. A fire that never dies, never ends.
apicture Dr Suryaraju Mattimalla
01 Dec 2025
As 2025 draws to a close, the Constitution's guarantees feel symbolic to millions. With courts, policing, voter rolls and land rights tilting in one direction, religious minorities confront a future w
apicture John Dayal
01 Dec 2025
Beneath the speeches of Constitution Day lies a nation in peril. Rights are eroded, institutions compromised, minorities targeted, and democracy is hollowed out. Ambedkar's warnings echo today, demand
apicture Cedric Prakash
01 Dec 2025
Aeschylus, the Greek tragedian, wanted to know how he was destined to die. Hence, he consulted a fortune teller who told him the truth and nothing but the truth. "You would meet your death under a fal
apicture P. Raja
01 Dec 2025
Picture two engines joined together. Both powerful, both capable of pulling a nation forward. But one engine pulls east and the other west. They strain. They struggle. And the train goes nowhere.
apicture Robert Clements
01 Dec 2025