Resentment

Resentment will eat you up no matter how you justify it. That's the topic of this mini podcast.

Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
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• How to stay in the present moment
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And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

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Transcript

Resentment

I was looking at a beautiful photograph my son took of a harbor on Block Island. It started me thinking about the word “harbor.”

I initially thought of seascapes but then remembered a line from numerous TV shows – “Harboring criminals.” Like many words, “harbor” has multiple meanings.

In the case of boats or as a refuge for criminals, it’s suggests a collection area – a collection area that defines the harborer.

The question I asked myself then was, “What are you harboring?”

Sad to say, for many, the answer is resentment.

You can collect anything you want in this harbor area, but if you’ve chosen resentment, you’ve defined an area within you where it can drop anchor and have a safe port of call and stay as long as it wants.

Resentment is not a good harbor mate. It leaks oil, never washes itself, spreads its garbage everywhere and pollutes the environment. Yet, we allow it to stay at no charge and at a tremendous cost.

If you harbor resentment, it'll consume you.

What I’ve come to discover about resentment is that people who harbor it, justify and defend it. They become like the mother of a murdering psychopath. “My child is a caring, loving person.” Never mind that they just found 21 bodies buried under his front porch.

When you justify your resentment, you give it new life. It continues to grow until, one day, it totally poisons you. I’m sure resentment has never shown up on a death certificate, but I’m just as certain that people die from resentment every day. It’s an insidious disease.

When you look up resentment in the dictionary you read, “Aggrieved feelings caused by a sense of having been badly treated.”

Here’s what the definition leaves out: The bad treatment you received will pale in comparison to the damage you do to yourself by harboring resentment.

Please hear this LOUD and CLEAR: That which you resent will adversely affect your health and eventually cause your demise no matter how justified you are.

I’ve seen too many cases of people who died extremely painful deaths due to the lifelong justification of a smoking habit. Justification of resentment is just as deadly.

I’m reminded of what The Buddha said about anger which could just as easily apply to resentment. He said, “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”

People who harbor resentment believe their justification is their reward. As long as they can tell their story, they feel as though they are getting vindication.

What they fail to see is what others see: them dying a slow, painful death.

It’s a choice; you can harbor anything you want. I just wonder how soon you’ll ban resentment from your harbor.

All the best,

John