The Untethered Soul

It is possible to choose to be happy no matter what. This requires you to let go of any particular kind of happiness you might be holding on to and “the part of you that wants to create melodrama” (143). No matter what, keep your heart open, enjoy life as it comes, and refuse to close. It takes discipline not to be tricked “into thinking that this time it’s worth closing. If you slip, get back up” (145). Committing to unconditional happiness solves all personal problems. It makes you transcend your personal parochial experiences and reveals the eternal, including true freedom and joy.

The highest spiritual path is to simply be present and let life do what it will without resistance. The existence of willpower, which is a force created when we concentrate the Self into any physical or mental realm, means we can “actually assert our will in opposition to the flow of life” (150). We create tension in ourselves when we use our willpower to interrupt the flow of inner energy. Therefore, resistance is a waste of energy. Keeping energy trapped inside like this inevitably leads to burnout over time. While it is still necessary to live our lives and deal with our issues, it is possible and optimal to do so from the