Close Enemies

God!

Give me the wisdom to see the differences between

Compassion & sympathy,

Active acceptance of / surrender to what is & passive resignation to what is,

Active participation in life processes & arrogant direction of life processes,

Self-love & self-absorption,

Selflessness & disregard for the self,

Being firm & being stubborn,

Remaining undisturbed by the suffering around me & numbing out to the suffering around me,

Pride & conceit,

Dialogue & argument,

Being grounded & stagnating,

Being detached & being disconnected,

Passionate response & angry reaction, 

Knowing my own truth for this moment & being closed to others’ experiences, and

The Self & the self.

For I have seen from experience, glimpses of true happiness and empowerment with the first and disempowerment with the second.

Yet, it is so complex to discern the differences between these sets of close enemies.

How do the masters do it?