Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
“Don’t go there” is an expression that essentially means you know that if you continue on a certain path or thinking in a certain way, arguing, and inquiring, discussing – behaving, or whatever – it’s going to lead to a predictable, negative result, guaranteed. So, very simply, don’t do it! Stop. Don’t continue.
For example, you might be asking someone at work a series of personal questions and notice that he is increasingly defensive and angry. If there is no actual reason you need the answers to your questions, this might qualify for the “don’t go there” wisdom. To continue with your questions virtually guarantees that you will create problems for yourself now or down the road. You’ll have a new enemy, or at least someone who is mad at you. Why continue? The same idea applies to so many interpersonal issues. Often, we know deep down what’s going to happen if we say certain things to certain people. Sometimes it’s best to just “not go there.”
Suppose you’re feeling sorry for yourself and completely overwhelmed. You’re thinking about quitting your job and about how horrible your life has become. Here, the “don’t go there” expression would mean “stop thinking along these lines.” To continue, only guarantees that you’re going to feel even worse. What’s the point? Wouldn’t it be wiser to wait until later, when you feel better, to analyze your life? Why go on when you know the result is going to be pain?
So often, going down a negative path leads to a series of stressful and destructive actions. If you can nip the problem in the bud early by using these simple words, you can prevent a great deal of stress.
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