It can be tempting to think that the wholesome response to malevolence is to ‘let it go’ by ‘doing nothing’ – To show antagonists a holier way of being by graciously “turning the other cheek.”
But true “Letting go” is not the same as “doing nothing.”
Our mind brought this challenge about for good reason. To ‘do nothing’ is to push the issue away and is based on the false view that the challenge is something separate from you. What we find most challenging in the world is a reflection of what is happening within us. That includes our own malevolence, which at times we would rather die than acknowledge.
Passivity therefore leads to repression, not integration. It does not lead to anything new being seen. The presenting challenge will continue to morph and change, but only insofar as it will allow you more opportunities to resolve it in your own mind. If we continue to repress, then it will continue to arise.
The path of Individuation is proactive. The instruction to “let it go” makes the spiritual path sound passive. This is one reason I prefer the words “make it conscious.”
Letting go is not really something you “do,” it is something that becomes possible once the cause of a conflict has been made conscious. Anything else is repression. Many conflicts we might have about the ‘right’ course of action can be cleared up from this simple switch in understanding.
