the two kinds of surrender

Mainly, there are two kinds of surrender — one is surrendering due to panic, and the other is surrendering by virtue of acceptance. The former involves fear of fate and the latter is all about love of fate, also known as amor fati. 

When things go sideways and when we don’t know what our future holds for us, we can either surrender due to panic and switch to a safe option or instead surrender to the flow of life and let our heart guide us. As Kody Keplinger points out, “You can’t control everything. Sometimes you just need to relax and have faith that things will work out. Let go a little and just let life happen.”

One surrender is about making things happen and often drive by lack and anxiety while the other is all about trusting the Universe. One is about restricting ourselves while the other is about embracing new opportunities. One is about over-effort and incessant hard work, while the other is about ease and relaxation. One is about not having “enough” while the other is about gratitude and contentment. One is about going with the flow of society while the other is about going with the flow of the Universe. One is about swimming upstream, while the other is about swimming downstream with the current. 

It’s always best to let go of surrendering due to panic and instead surrender to the flow of life accepting and being at peace with where we are right now. As Stacey Hagen writes, “When you surrender to the flow, you open yourself to possibilities instead of forcing opportunities that might not be right. You embrace and honor where you are, without worrying about where you need to be.”