Graham W Price's Blog

The Observer today carries a front-page article about Tony Blair’s depression as the aftermath of the Iraq invasion unfolded. No surprise there. The unfolding story was indeed horrendous. Tony no doubt felt some sense of guilt.  Guilt and depression feed on each other like two … (simile deleted as suitably distasteful).

We might be curious whether Gordon feels similarly depressed over Britain’s poor recession performance … thanks at least in part to high government spending and lack of control over the banks.  Not much evidence of it. Maybe he’s putting on a brave face as Tony did. Maybe he’s more resilient. Maybe he knows the dual truths  of  ’accepting what is’ and the ‘determined’ nature of life … see my previous post  Tiger’s lament . His apparent fortitude suggests he just might know. If he does, he’s a rare bird indeed. Pity he didn’t share it with Tony.

Clients pour into my clinic struggling with guilt or regret about past actions, resentment over the actions of others, from parents or partners to bosses, or depression fuelled by the challenging circumstances of their lives.  When they arrive, none know about the dual truths. By the time they leave, they know them well and their lives are dramatically changed by it.

Couples come in droves for relationship counselling  . There’s lots I can tell them, exercises that help, but none more potent than the dual truths that Tiger and Tony apparently don’t know and other skills that flow from those truths such as ‘owning our reactions’ (the situation we’re reacting to is the only situation that could have existed right now, given the awareness of everyone involved at the time), self-acceptance (if we’ve always done the only thing we could have done given our awareness at the time, then who we are right now is the only person we could have been right now) and taking total responsibility for our interactions (others are doing the only thing they could be doing, given their awareness right now and we’re the only person who can change that awareness).  So relationships too are transformed. None need fail except by choice.

These things, and other skills that flow from the dual truths, are not complex. They can be, and hopefully one day will be, learned by Tiger, Tony and everyone else.  www.abicord.com/what-is-is