American Mussar Equanimity

A person who has mastered peace of mind has gained everything. To obtain peace of mind, you need to be at peace with your emotions and desires.

–Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv

Rise above events that are inconsequential - both bad and good for they are not worth disturbing your equanimity.
-Rabbi Menachem Mendel Lefin, Cheshbon HaNefesh

"To seek praise for acts of goodness is not something we would even consider at the level of hasidut (saintliness). Yet even the hasid must beware of responding to praise unsought though it may be. To work to become a better person because of praise one has received reintroduces self-interested motivation. Indifference to consequences for oneself is the key to hasidut."

–Rabbi Ira Stone Mellisat Yesharim Path of the Upright p 184 (Kaplan translation with commentary by Rabbi Ira Stone)

“I do not say that all conduct which falls short of this standard [saintliness] is to be entirely discountenanced. God withholds his desserts from no one, and rewards each according to his worth.”

–Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Mellisat Yesharim Path of the Upright p 184 (Kaplan translation w/ commentary by Rabbi Ira Stone)

"With two outs in the bottom of the 9th of the deciding game of the 2012 World Series, the count went to 2 strikes. My brain started racing: one more strike and the Giants are going to win…wow, that will be their second World Series…there will be another parade. I found myself getting more and more excited. Then I started to get anxious—if they lose today, they could go on and lose the whole World Series.

At the time, I was practicing equanimity. Out of the blue, I realized that the more my mind was racing off into the possible future, the less I was paying attention to the game. I made a conscious effort not to go down that road of becoming super excited. I took a deep breath, and was able to be calm and remain in the moment. When Sergio Romo, the Giants relief pitcher threw a fastball instead of a slider, and struck out Cabrerra, I was still super happy and excited. However, I did not have an overlay of super franticness. I was much calmer, and I remember the moment with a richness that I might not have if I had allowed my adrenaline free reign.

In the following month, I noticed that things that would have brought me down didn’t have the effect on me that I anticipated they would. By limiting my reactions to positive experiences, I strengthened my soul and made it resilient to the downs that came later. "

- Greg Marcus, The Spiritual Practice of Good Actions p182-183

Discussion Question: With a partner, share a time or circumstance when your mind races into the future and you get "too high." How might you work to keep yourself on an even keel?