Preparing the Mind for Unexpected Encounters
The Phenomenon of Encounter As we go through life, we often meet people unexpectedly. We call these meetings “chance encounters” because we usually do not anticipate them or prepare ourselves for them in advance. Among these encounters, we may meet people we like, people we dislike, people we are happy to see, and people we would rather avoid. Since we have not prepared for these meetings beforehand, our emotions, thoughts, words, and actions are often shaped by the atmosphere of the moment and by the other person’s reactions. In those moments, our reactions are often shaped by the thoughts, values, and habits we have already developed. This happens because we had no prepared response for that particular person or situation. As a result, our underlying way of thinking, speaking, and behaving reveals itself. This is very important. No matter what we do in life, each of us carries a foundation of thoughts, values, and habits. These were built little by little from childhood throug...