Those who know me, know that I am always ready to fall for apt quotes and poems that, in a few well-chosen words, can evoke thoughts and feelings, or reproduce aspects of our shared experience;
“the human experience.”
Well-chosen combinations of words are something that moves me so much, that I have more than one tattooed directly on my skin. (but more on that another time!)
The yoga philosophy is reflected very aptly in a prayer, also known as the “Serenity Prayer” – prayer for serenity. It has been in circulation around the world for several hundred years in various forms and was written down and reproduced in a number of newspaper articles in the 1930s. It very nicely addresses the constant balancing act we all live in, where in all aspects of life we try to balance surrender and acceptance versus action. I have always been very fond of these lines, and often reflect on them.
You have to choose your battles carefully, and in general in life be able to distinguish between surrender and acceptance versus action, this little “prayer” is a good reminder of exactly that.
”God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
Grant me the courage to change the things I can change
And grant me the wisdom to know the difference.”
Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971)
in a slightly easier more lose interpretation, that I often use in my daily life
“Please grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change
and change the things I can not accept
and give me the knowledge to know the difference!”
Also, check out “How to incorporate the concept of Dharana into your life“
