acceptance
to me, acceptance is taking things as they are, not as we wish they would be.
we all wish for certain things to be different from how they are.
it could be wanting more money or freedom.
it could be wanting less physical or mental pain.
it could be any number of things where we get so caught up in what we want, that we completely reject what is.
in rejecting the uncomfortable, difficult and painful aspects of reality, we also reject the beautiful, precious and awesome aspects.
we throw the baby out with the bathwater.
acceptance is not necessarily the final goal.
but it is the first step towards any goal.
to create a better future for ourselves and others, we have to first accept the present we live in.
I personally struggle a lot with acceptance.
accepting the angry, selfish and apathetic aspects of myself.
and simultaneously, I struggle to accept the positive aspects of myself.
that I am a reliable friend, resilient to adversity and on my best days compassionate and caring.
accepting both the good and the bad of life seems to be critical to experiencing peace and knowing what needs to be done.
I have personally found some amount of peace in accepting ideas such as impermeance (that nothing lasts forever), interdependence (all things are connected) and an open and centerless nature of consciousness.
I'll touch more on these concepts in future posts, but suffice to say that accepting certain ideas and perspectives can also lead to peace and informed action.
accepting myself exactly as I am is a journey I imagine I'll be on for my entire life.
and I know it will be worth the ride.