Accepting, Denying or Fighting Reality
Accept, deny or fight
These are the three choices that Peter Thiel outlined regarding his views on death, particularly his own. He noted that he was going down the fight path.
Most in faith and wisdom traditions say that the accept path is the wisest choice.
Psychologists attribute all kinds of neuroses and problematic behaviors to the deny path.
These are often the three choices that we face on issues much less permanent than death as well. Life is complicated.
Denial seems the best course of action only for politicians, especially current ones. Otherwise, it comes with a litany of problems that stem from a lack of understanding or desire to know reality. I guess that’s why it’s used so much as a political instrument.
Acceptance is often the path recommended for those who cannot influence change in a situation. It’s a key component of the Serenity Prayer and is linked to a deep understanding of reality, a reality that cannot be altered.
Fight or influencing change is the path recommended for those that can influence reality. Evidently Peter Thiel thinks he’s in the influencing amortality business. They do say that it is the unreasonable that change the world because no reasonable person would ever go against the grain.
But fighting is tough. It takes energy. It requires patience, persuasion, resilience, resources, and the fundamental belief that one’s vision is worth the punishment of the beating one receives from the naysayers. It’s tiring, especially if the battle is big. It can cost you your life if it’s problematic enough for others.
I’ve been a fighter most of my life in certain areas (work and faith). I rebel. I disagree and am contrarian quite often when I see things that just aren’t right. And it gets me in trouble. I probably should have accepted more.
I’ve also been conflict avoidant in other areas of my life (relationships). I agree. I minimize. I excuse other’s behavior. I avoid the fight because I can’t handle the consequence. And it gets me into trouble. I probably should have fought or at least engaged the conflict more.
At our core, we need to look deep and understand who we are and what matters. Often what has made me tired of fighting is that I don’t care much about what I’m fighting for. What has drained me about acceptance is when I’ve subordinated myself to a system of bullshit rules that somehow got wired into my mind and heart.
It seems that the wisdom to know the difference between when to fight and when to accept really comes when one deeply understands one’s sense of self and others and what really matters. Once these have been established, knowing when and what to fight for and when and what to accept become a byproduct.
I’m grateful for the visionaries who did not accept the status quo and transformed the world. I’m also grateful for the mentors, teachers, gurus and pastors who have showed the peace which can come from acceptance. Energy comes from both sources when our spirits are attuned to who we are and what truly matters.
Godspeed Peter Thiel in your amortality quest.
