It’s Not the World That Makes You Unhappy, It’s the Unhappy Energy in You That Shapes an Unhappy World
After ten years of meditation and spiritual learning, I’ve begun to unravel how the mind traps us in unhappiness.
This understanding reveals a light at the end of the tunnel. The collective unconscious holds negative energy that resides in all of us, coloring our perceptions and blocking our intrinsic joy.
The world is filled with negative energy—anger from parents, verbal abuse from teachers, bullying by peers, or distressing news. These experiences trigger negative feelings, forming beliefs that become part of our identity, through which we interpret the present.
For instance, I recall an upsetting memory from an elementary school math tutoring class, where I felt despised for not being “smart.” For years, I chased societal approval, especially in academics and job performance.
When criticized harshly at my previous job, my mind saw it as an attack, reviving feelings of shame and inadequacy from that childhood class. I viewed the world as hostile, punishing the weak.
Now, I see differently. Childhood attacks were real, rooted in the collective unconscious’s negativity we all share. Negative events trigger this existing stored energy, and the mind mistakenly believes external circumstances create negative feelings out of thin air, rather than activating the negative energy already stored within.
As the Chinese saying goes, “Once bitten by a snake, one fears the rope for ten years.” A boss’s harsh criticism may reflect their own bad day or trauma, yet we take it personally, thinking their intention is to attack and make us feel bad.
From a higher perspective, these triggers are the universe nudging us to release stored negativity. Observe thoughts of being attacked without believing them. Focus on physical sensations, like stomach tightness, and stay present without identifying with the thoughts. Gradually, this releases the energy.
One day, when negative energy is sufficiently released, you realize the ‘attack’ is just perception—your boss is experiencing their own stored negativity, which leaks out toward you. As you release more stored negativity, you connect with intrinsic joy, independent of conditions.
A simple walk becomes blissful without distractions. You stop chasing external changes for happiness and embrace life’s inherent joy.
A worldly person tries to change the world to feel good. A spiritual person transforms their inner world.
You may walk both paths, but let the spiritual path be the overarching context encompassing the worldly one, as it leads to lasting joy.