Living in a hectic, modern age, it's easy to lose focus on what's really important in life. I know that sounds very trite but it's still true. I have a short temper and I get ticked off very easily by others because I am such a perfectionist, Type A person. I know it's something I need to work on continually, 24-7. One of the tools I use to put things in a better perspective is intoning in my head or under my breath the quote by Wayne Dyer:
People are really doing the best they can given the awareness they have.
Deepak Chopa said something very similar. I don't know who came up with it first or if it was merely divine inspiration. In any case, it's a very simplistic quote, but profound, inherent truths usually are.
This isn't about being haughty and looking down on others considering yourself to be more "enlightened." It's about showing compassion for every living creature because we are all struggling to live together on this overcrowded planet of ours.
This personal mantra reminds me of how Christ on the cross pleaded, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). (I apologize for the recent Christian-heavy entries but it is what I am most familiar with). In the same respect, we should forgive those that trespass against us since they do it out of ignorance rather than hatred.
Most people are not actively trying to be spiteful or mean, but they are moving through life as if in a haze or a blur. Their thoughts, actions, and motives are unconscious. They live as if in "The Matrix." The Masters tell us to live each moment of our precious life as if it was our last and with deliberation. In the monotony and routine of our daily lives, we lose ourselves to the automatic drudgery and forget to stop and contemplate and deliberately make positive intentions in every thought and action that we perform. I also want to add that this is also a good way to remind yourself to be kind not only to others but to your very self. I have a tendency to be my own worst critic. As we should forgive others for living as if in a trance we should also give ourselves some leeway for slipping up occasionally/often as well.
So the next time someone ticks you off (or if you do something out of character due to ignorance or 'unconsciousness'). Remember that "everyone is doing the best they can at their level of awareness" (Deepak Chopra).
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