Let me ask you a question—would you rather be right? Or would you rather be peaceful? I ask myself that question everyday. In my opinion, right and peaceful are mutually exclusive. You can’t really be both, at least not as spiritual beginners, which we are.
Of course I always vote for “peaceful,” but more often than not, it’s a difficult commitment to keep. It’s kind of like a prizefight … in this corner, wearing bright red trunks, you have the part of yourself that always wants to be right, the part of yourself that needs to show the world just how much you know, to be the guy with all the answers (Piece of Mind). And, hey, you can’t debate the fact that Piece of Mind has been around the block. At this point in his life, he’s seen some things and he’s at no shortage for answers. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the crowd, the screaming fans, the heat of the moment. Piece of Mind is a powerful guy—his personal trainers are life experience, brute strength, and a lot of hard knocks. Watch me and learn, he thinks. And, with every conversation, every personal and professional interaction, he is looking to impart his particular brand of wisdom. Given the choice to float like a butterfly or sting like a bee, he’ll choose to sting—every time.
In the other corner, in the blue trunks, you’ve got the part of yourself that wants to be gracious, to do the right thing and, ultimately, to be content (Peace of Mind). Peace of Mind’s physical presence, at first, isn’t nearly as impressive as Piece of Mind’s. In fact, he kinda looks like a wimp. He’s skinny, his shorts are too big, and he doesn’t have an entourage. But his strength comes from somewhere else entirely. And if you give him the chance, he’ll prove that Piece of Mind has nothing on him. His biggest advantage is that his confidence is born not from brute strength or intimidation, but from a mindset of grace and humility. He doesn’t pride himself on a championship belt or new bench press record. He has no world title to defend. What can I learn today? he thinks. Sure, there’s a lot less flash and sizzle surrounding Peace of Mind, but he doesn’t seem to notice. He’s too busy being content to care about whether or not he’s impressing the crowd.
Each day begins with the clanging of the starting bell, signaling the beginning of Round One. And each day the arena goes wild. The two fighters circle one another in the ring, the butterfly and the bee, sizing one another up. The overwhelming majority is pushing for the bee, for Piece of Mind … the odds are good on him, all glistening sweat and rippling muscles. He’s right and will no doubt be the “winner.” But listen closely—the throng of fight-watchers, that adoring crowd, the chanting … it’s your ego. And your ego is a scrapper; he’ll always tell you to throw a punch, impart that wisdom, at the very first opportunity. However, if you’re not careful, you could wind up delivering your message with all the subtlety of a left hook. And it’s a lot harder to create good relationships with people after you’ve broken their jaw.
What does Peace of Mind do? A good sport if ever there was one, Peace of Mind doesn’t “put up his dukes.” In fact, he never even laced up his gloves. His responses are calculated, not spontaneous, and he has trained very, very well. It’s taken a lot of patience and practice, but he has Piece of Mind all figured out—he is well versed his opponent’s weaknesses, and more importantly, has accepted his own. He’s not afraid of anything. Peace of Mind has nothing to prove to anyone … he knows what he knows. And what he knows is that it was never really a fight in the first place.
So, what color trunks will you wear today?
