Are Being Right, Being Happy, And Being Involved All In Conflict With Each Other?, Part 2

Continued from Part 1 

What are we to do when it appears that being right, being happy and being involved all seem to be in conflict? Part 2

It seems to me that my issue is about ownership or attachment, as friends at my ACIM meeting continually point out. When my judgment becomes clouded and confused or I find myself angry or frustrated, it’s generally because I am really attached to my perceived rightness or correctness of my personal position – my story; my “superior” experience; my truth; my intellectual beliefs. If I can forgive myself for my attachment to my story or idea, then I can continue to love others even as they seemingly ignore what I’ve shared.

But I do NOT stop sharing myself – honestly and completely!

Jesus ministered to human needs – hunger, sickness, impairment, poverty – because He loved, He cared, and He could. He ministered without judgment or expectations. He shared of Himself and it transformed those whom He touched (figuratively and literally).

Before getting frustrated, angry, or irritated – all signs to me of attachment and ego – I try desperately to stop and:

• ·      Still my mind! (By this I do not try to stop the incessant monkey chatter within the universe that exists between my ears. I simply try to focus elsewhere as the chatter continues).
• ·      Forgive me, my perceptions, and the behaviors or characteristics my perceptions have placed on others.
• ·      Ask the Holy Spirit to provide me another way of looking at the situation – seeing the other as an extension of myself.

So, the line-in-the-sand I draw generally includes teaching. It certainly includes sharing myself. Hence, these messages. It includes accepting responsibility for my self and for those for whom I am responsible – e.g., students, those in a relationship I share, children, good citizenship, reducing my carbon footprint, being part of my environment not simply a user of Mother Gaia.

But my expectations, my own upbringing that laid the foundation of my sense of duty and justice and fairness, and my anticipations can get in my way. I need always to be aware of that. As I concluded last week’s message: “I don’t have to change someone. I don’t have to change things or events. I just have to keep my focus on me and my thoughts. That’s my perceived reality. If I am open, honest and willing, the Holy Spirit will change my perceptions. I can live with that.”

As always, thanks for listening and feel free to share this message with your friends, family, and those with whom you are walking your spiritual path.

Don

#3 June, 2012