There are some situations where you realize you can’t make a difference, or you could make a difference but it might not be worth it.

"There are some situations where you realize you can’t make a difference, or you could make a difference but it might not be worth it.

Some people listening to the brahmaviharas say that they sound like the serenity prayer: wanting the ability to accept what you can’t change, the courage to change what you can change, and the discernment or wisdom to know the difference.

But life is a lot more complicated than that. There are a lot of things that you could change but wouldn’t be worth it. And that requires real discernment. After all, even though we try to have equanimity and goodwill for everyone, our resources are limited. The attitudes may be unlimited, but our resources are not: In terms of your time, your energy, your monetary resources, there are limitations. So you have to figure out, given the limitations, what’s the best use of what you’ve got.

There may be some areas where you have to choose which battle you’re going to fight. You can’t fight two at once, or maybe you can fight two but you can’t fight three. You have to gauge your strength. Focus on the battles that are most worthwhile to win, and develop some equanimity for those that are not.

So here again, equanimity is selective: immeasurable in the sense that you have to apply it whenever appropriate, but selective in where you apply it at any one time."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Equanimity in Action, Equanimity at Rest"

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