Sometimes we hurt ourselves the way we struggle and resist. Acceptance can be its own form of dominant resistance — because survival is sometimes the best resistance. Sometimes survival is all we have. Everyone wants to be powerful and thrive and soar high, but life's challenges sometimes demand we contract rather than expand. Retreating is not necessarily a loss, but often a strategy of survival. The defense processes you observe in the natural world, in animals and in cellular biology have their analogues in your psychology and spirituality. You are not weak because you must sometimes retreat and contract; it is a part of your brilliance. It sometimes is natural and genius to fail. There is often wisdom, strategy and intelligence in loss. Surrender is not just a spiritual, meditative or transcendental philosophy; it is often pragmatic, worldly and rational. Detachment and surrender are both rational and transcendental. Non-engagement or retreat can turn certain defeat into victory. Do not be ashamed of what you perceive as your weaknesses, failures and losses, which may have been your greatest moments of brilliance and survival.
