Entropy Part 7
March 7, 2026
Entropy Part 7
Most of us carry a feeling we don’t like but secretly return to. It hurts, it limits us, and yet it feels strangely familiar. In a quiet, unconscious way, it can even feel comforting. This is what some have called our favorite bad feeling.
George G. Ritchie, MD, spiritual teacher, psychiatrist, and author, once observed that nearly everyone has a “favorite bad feeling.” It is a feeling that makes us feel bad yet oddly comforts us because it is so familiar. It may originate in childhood or develop later in life, but over time, it becomes woven into our repertoire of coping mechanisms. Though it may provide temporary relief, it never truly helps. It is the feeling one might describe as, “It hurts so good.”
To entertain this feeling is to take the path of least resistance, and that path inevitably leads to entropy unless we awaken to what we are doing. One thing is sure: a favorite bad feeling does not arise from the soul, because the soul has no story that must come true. The unchecked ego, however, does. When its story is threatened, it retreats into familiar pain. Thoughts such as “I’m discounted,” “I was passed over,” “I’ll never make it,” “The cards are stacked against me,” or “I’m damaged goods,” easily take hold. Many favorite bad feelings are rooted in self-pity or in blaming others for what has gone wrong.
At times, the favorite bad feeling may be the ego’s misguided attempt to overwhelm itself, hoping that either others or even the soul itself will finally protest: “Enough. That thought isn’t true, and it’s getting you nowhere.” But when entropy sets in, these feelings go unchecked. They persist, deepen, and eventually harden into a mood, a way of living, or even a defining part of the ego’s narrative.
Once we become aware of our favorite bad feelings, we can put them on the trash heap. Only then do we interrupt their destructive cycle. This creates the opportunity to replace them with thoughts that are more hopeful and constructive, not unrealistic fantasies, but rational, truthful thoughts grounded in reality.
For example: “Some people may not think well of me, but I know the truth about myself. I am lovable, and many people do love me.” Or: “I may have been passed over this time, but I am not snake-bitten. In reality, I have been chosen many times.” Or simply: “I am not damaged goods. I am a child of God.”
Such grounded thoughts lift us out of the doldrums and place us on higher ground. Over time, they become familiar in a new way. They grow into our favorite good feelings, restoring vitality rather than draining it.
Spiritual practice: In meditation, picture your virtue entering your body. Be present to that virtue. Invite it to enter your body. Feel it on the cellular level. Be a living expression of your virtue.
Self-inquiry: What is the cost to you of taking care of your body and embodying your Holy ideas, Virtue, and Essential Aspects?
Prayer:
Dear God, I pray for the consciousness to embody Holy Strength and Faith. Amen
