One of the great gifts of a spiritual path is the ability to determine your own position in any situation. This means that you are evaluating in response to yourself and discerning your position in any interaction which crosses your path. This ability to position yourself is a power greater than any power of reactivity. When you choose to react to a situation based on the situation alone, you have given power to the situation. When you choose your reaction based on your own discernment, then the power stays with you.
An example of this positioning occurs when someone you are interacting with says or does something which is incorrect. You must discern how much energy you are willing to invest in proving this person wrong. If you are driving down the wrong side of the road, you may want to invest energy in correcting this dangerous situation. If you do not feel that the person’s driving style is the best one, but no danger is involved, you may choose not to invest so much energy in the interaction. This the “bending” to which we refer. You know what you know, but you do not need to go to war about it.
This lesson is very valuable in helping you to conserve energy and also to help you see where your personal investment lies in a situation. When you find your life has a lot of war in it, stop and see where you are sending your energy. Discern whether you are too invested in a situation which does not require such a large outlay of your energy. Discern also whether you may need to invest more energy in a situation which is truly important.
As you become good at positioning yourself consciously, you will find that you are less afraid of the things in life that may have threatened you before. The reason is that you are choosing your own response to anything or anyone you encounter. You will also become more adept at seeing your own responses to different encounters. Without judging, you can then make adjustments in the beliefs under which you are operating. This is the path of loving growth and power.