231117 What I learned in my studies this morning 3

Perceptions of worth,
Wrong in principle and fact.
Time to be better.

Today's Meditation(s):

Put these three together and what do I have? A secret of life.

My desire for things to be other than they are — whether a person's behavior or a situation or the laws of physics — does two things to me:

1. It makes me unhappy because the world does not work that way; I have no control over externalities so I end up frustrated.

2. It prevents me from treating people as I should. I preempt my ability to practice virtue because I close off possibilities before they can become real.