The second arrow

Do you know the Buddhist parable of the two arrows? 

"Buddha once said that if we’re hit by an arrow it will surely hurt, but if we’re hit by a second arrow in the same spot it will hurt much more. This may sound like common sense, but if we use the second arrow as an analogy to help clarify the harmful qualities of the thinking mind, its meaning deepens and becomes more useful. For example, if we get a headache, there’s no doubt it can be somewhat painful. But if we have the thought, “This is terrible” or “Why is this happening to me?” it’s like being hit by a second arrow, and it intensifies the physical pain. As we observe ourselves, we’ll see that we shoot ourselves with second arrows quite regularly, even though we’re normally not aware that we’re doing this. Why? Because we accept our thoughts and judgments as the unquestioned truth. How many times have you thought, “This isn’t fair,” without even questioning whether or not the thought was true? Or after making a mistake, which we can call the first arrow, we add the second-arrow thought, “I can’t do anything right.” From Beyond Happiness by Ezra Bayda.

Peace