“We think that negative emotions are produced by circumstances, whereas all negative emotions are in us, inside us. This is a very important point. We always think our negative emotions are produced by the fault of other people or by the fault of circumstances because of what they say and do which seem to trigger us. We always think that.
Our negative emotions are in ourselves and are produced by ourselves. There is absolutely not a single unavoidable reason why somebody else’s action or some circumstance should produce a negative emotion in me. It is only my weakness. No negative emotion can be produced by external causes if we do not want it. We have negative emotions because we permit them, justify them, explain them by external causes, and in this way we do not struggle with them.
When you feel an unpleasant emotion, do not express it. When it expres
ses itself, like anger or irritation, you feel relief, but in this way, it becomes stronger and has more and more control over you. When you realize that nobody else is responsible for your irritation, little by little you will begin to feel differently. We have much more power over the expression of negative emotions than we think, and we can learn not to express them.
It is the same as in relation to unnecessary talk. Ask yourself: is it useful, is it necessary to express them? Do not express. Find reasons for not expressing those unnecessary words and negative ones. They serve no useful purpose.
By realizing how much we lose by allowing ourselves the pleasure of having them, we can stop them. A certain mental struggle or work is necessary to weaken their hold on you. Remember, they are the easiest to drop at their beginnings. Then create right attitudes to replace them. You can look for positives and change your point of view!”
The Fourth Way – A Lucid Explantation of the Practical Side of G.I. Gurdjieff’s Teachings, P.D. Ouspensky, p. 70-71.
