The Inner Dramas

 In mediation practice especially, one learns that most dramas are actually internal conflicts. They have nothing to do with what's happening "out there", as though there were some place that is independent of the mind itself. So, knowing that there are these inner conflicts that can generate all sorts of vexations, what does one do?
   I think it's important that one get to the root cause of conflict and meet it head on. Conflict is not always met with an easy reconciliation: sometimes it reflects a need for a re-orientation of one's priorities and the repentance from old habits. If conflict resolution were simply a matter of letting different impulses, views and inclinations co-exist in the same awareness, then conflict would not even seem so difficult. It's difficult precisely because it entails some sort of sacrifice in some way. I cannot meditate and suddenly give into an urge to get up and have a coffee! Of course, this is a silly example, but it serves to point out that internal struggles are often resulting from not having proper sense of perspective and priority.
  There is a style of leadership called "Negotiator", which I often fall into, and that is someone who always tries to say yes to everyone so that nobody gets offended. Such a person often stands back and is afraid of "rocking the boat". Do we act like this in meditation? No, because such an approach is too wavering, and it lacks a sense of determination and sacrifice. Not everything can be entertained on the cushion, and serious practice involves knowing when to simply push forward and drop attached, clinging thoughts. Without a strong sense of prioritization, practice is likely to perpetuate internal conflicts and dramas to no end.