When I was driving to work, I thought to myself that the majority of stressful encounters in our lives are only “stressful” due to the negative judgments that we give them. For example, if a car cuts me off, it only upsets me because of my judgment regarding its behavior based on my expectation of how the other car should behave. Without the judgment, rather than being stressful, the same situation would simply be stimulating, which is actually a good thing. Not only does the stimulation heighten my awareness and keep me from getting into an accident, but it also pulls me into the present moment and makes life more exciting.
Stimulation should be fun and enjoyable. The exact same chemical reaction in your nervous system can be interpreted by your mind as either stimulating or stressful, and subsequently be healthy or harmful to your health. I’m reminded about Letters from 500 how they describe a future where all diseases have been “cured” not because bacteria has been wiped out, but because of how humans respond to bacteria. For example, a bacteria which previously caused infections and illness, now causes stimulation of the body and actually confers positive effects. Another example is spices used in cooking. The reason spices have such stimulating tastes is because they contain substances that are actually considered noxious or partially toxic, but because we interpret it as positive stimulation, they are enjoyable and even confer positive health benefits.
We are so afraid of stress and anything negative happening around us. Rather than being fearful and suppressing or avoiding every stressful situation, we need only change our perception of the situation. Then the feeling in our bodies in those situations will be reinterpreted as positive stimulation rather than stress. And I believe that has a real long term effect on our health, as the same biologic response in our bodies which would be damaging as stress can be healing as stimulation. Stress tends to be the most damaging when we try to fight the natural stimulation in our bodies, and that is when we hold on to it instead of letting it pass through and release naturally.
So the fundamental key is that our perception creates our reality. Nirvana or heaven on earth does not require that we live blissful perfect lives in the clouds where everything is perfect and peaceful. You can find nirvana while driving in traffic, and when other cars cut you off, just thank them for the stimulation.
