Words of Wisdom for Sept. 21, 2019: Thich Nhat Hanh on Negative Mental Habits

“We have negative mental habits that come up over and over again. One of the most significant negative habits we should be aware of is that of constantly allowing our mind to run off into the future. Perhaps we got this from our parents. Carried away by our worries, we're unable to live fully and happily in the present. Deep down, we believe we can't really be happy just yet—that we still have a few more boxes to be checked off before we can really enjoy life. We speculate, dream, strategize, and plan for these "conditions of happiness" we want to have in the future; and we continually chase after that future, even while we sleep. We may have fears about the future because we don't know how it's going to turn out, and these worries and anxieties keep us from enjoying being here now.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh,
Peace Is Every Breath:
A Practice for Our Busy Lives

“Thich Nhat Hanh is a holy man…. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.” — Martin Luther King, Jr., nominating Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967.

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