We are not negative. But we do carry negative thoughts and tendencies. But these thoughts and tendencies need not define who we are. Acknowledging their existence, accepting that they surface from time to time and deciding to take positive action to do something is the way ahead. Living in denial gets us nowhere.

If it’s easy to detect negativity within, why is it so difficult to eradicate it. If we see something in our food that should not be there, do we not immediately remove it. If there are spots on our clothes, do we not wash it away. Even our car, if dirty, gets our attention. Yet, sometimes we live with internal negative instincts for long. Longer than we should.

The truth is our clothes and our car is seen by the world and we want to keep them clean. Our mental world is our own and just because no one knows what goes on in our mind, we sometimes feel it is okay to live with undesirable thoughts.

And if we are honest with ourselves, we will realise there are many things that we know we should change, but the fact is we enjoy them in our private world. And repeated thoughts and action have ingrained deep channels in our minds which now control us rather than the other way round. Are we helpless or can our positive forces win the battle for us internally.

The Zen master said to his students that in our minds there are two strong bulls, a negative bull, and a positive bull. And he asked which one is stronger. A student immediately answered it was the positive one. Zen master shook his head. Quite surprised, the students said then it was the negative bull. The Zen master shook his head again. The students looked at him confused. With a smile the master said – ‘It is the one we feed more.’

Our mind, like our body needs the best nourishment. There is no guilt in having negative thoughts and tendencies, it is natural and we know we can overcome. But we must hold ourselves responsible if we keep feeding them.