The Triangle of Self-Obsession

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There is a self-destructive pattern that traps us in suffering. It is a triangle that keeps our world small and centered on ourselves. To escape it, you must first recognize its shape.

Resentment is the Past

This is the poison of reliving what has already happened. It is the obsessive focus on past hurts and injustices. It keeps you chained to a story that is over, forcing you to carry a weight that no longer needs to be held.

Anger is the Present

This is the fire of reacting to what is happening right now. It is the ego’s fierce resistance to the present moment not being what it wants. It is a defense against a feeling of powerlessness, a surge of energy that consumes you here and now.

Fear is the Future

This is the anxiety of imagining what is yet to come. It is the story of a future catastrophe, a failure, or a loss that has not happened. It keeps you trapped in a negative possibility, robbing you of peace in the only moment you truly have.

One Feeling, Three Masks

Look closely at these three emotions. Resentment, anger, and fear. Though they appear to live in different times—past, present, future—they are all the same feeling.

They are the feeling of self-obsession. Each one is a story entirely about you. What happened to you. What is happening to you. What might happen to you.

This is the illusion that will destroy your peace.

Get rid of all of it. Do not hold anything back. Let go of the story, and the suffering will follow.