Enlightenment Step One

[Norm3333]

Acceptance - I feel that a lot of closed, negative and destructive thoughts are caused by lack of acceptance. This should not be like this, that car in front should be travelling faster (quicker off the green light), that person should do that differently, Why is it not done the way I like it.... The list is endless. Shouldn't we just accept what is happening and then deal with it on a more neutral footing? Since I started this life has fundamentally changed for the better. Views?

[Dwerg]

Yup. I kinda get the negativity and I accept even that, but it doesn't exactly grab my attention. Basically it's a waste of time, and giving it attention just rewards them. Such people may call me ignorant, but that's fine by me. It's true and I won't deny it, I'll just watch their minds explode when they realize I won't cave in and just keep being laid back.

[Gracey]

I agree that acceptance is key.

[Ivy]

Yes, I agree - but your awareness of the long list of 'shoulds' is followed by another one... 'shouldn't we...'

So the old 'should' is just changed to a new 'should'

It might be that the new should is more useful to you at this moment... but that too might end up on the list in time.

[n2mec]

I like to see it as acceptance and/or nonacceptance and thats ok. Allow it all to happen.

[Molearner]

I like to see it as acceptance and/or nonacceptance and thats ok. Allow it all to happen.

n2mec,

Not sure if there is such a thing as nonacceptance. If something happens in time we cannot obliterate time. It happened..said and done. We subsequently react even if that action is to ignore. So, I would argue that our only choice is to accept. We can agree, disagree, react or ignore but we still have to accept.

[BlueSky]

Acceptance - I feel that a lot of closed, negative and destructive thoughts are caused by lack of acceptance. This should not be like this, that car in front should be travelling faster (quicker off the green light), that person should do that differently, Why is it not done the way I like it.... The list is endless. Shouldn't we just accept what is happening and then deal with it on a more neutral footing? Since I started this life has fundamentally changed for the better. Views?
Viewing what happens as the observer puts you in a "more" neutral position to deal with what happens. However, it's not likely that we can become totally neutral. Realistically that is.
So it's not about acceptance for me, it's about looking at it from a different perspective.

[athribiristan]

Accept that which you cannot change
Change that which you cannot accept
All else is madness.

[BlueSky]

Nice.........

[Norm3333]

Observing in the third person is certainly a help. The "should we" is completely correct and in the end... it has happened so we move from denial or resistance in to acceptance anyway, no matter how far down the line that happens...... It's just the negative period during the "it isn't supposed to be like this" phase is something I have been watching recently...I do it a bit and my response which used to be (a long time ago) a that of anger, now ranges from, mild frustration to mostly amusement when I observe my potential response..... I think it is very interesting how often this situation rises in a day:). Love!

[Ivy]

If you've noticed what you 'should' be accepting, then you've already accepted its existence. So is it the non-acceptance that you were angry about, or is it what you are having to accept about your thoughts and feelings?

[Norm3333]

I think it was total egocentric. Why isn't everything and everyone on my wavelength.... Like when the lights green we go at my pace not yours..now it makes me smile when I sense I'm doing it but I think many others aren't so fortunate. Expecting everything to conform to a certain, "ego created" set of rules is set up to fail....should have happened like I want ...not anybody else... Etc etc... Oh well all part of the journey:). If we learn to accept first ...I think the power of this is really strong and we don't use negative energy on non productive "shoehorning of reality" we can let go and fix what needs fixing if indeed it needs fixing at all.

[Ivy]

Sounds good.... also, as we accept ourselves we tend to become more accepting of others - perhaps they aren't less fortunate after all.