“It’s not the existence of beliefs that is the problem, but what happens to us when we hold them rigidly, without examining them, when we presume the absolutely centrality of our views and become disdainful of others.”
-Sharon Salzberg
I often wonder why when we are growing up we are so much more accepting of others and their ideas and less concerned with holding on to what we believe in? It seems as we get older we become more rigid in our thinking that we are always right while others and their line of thinking is wrong. There may even come a point in time where we begin to resent them and their viewpoints. What bothers me most is that we even fail to socially recognize that this has occurred or even stop to think why this is in fact happening.
It is my hope that today’s quote from Meditation expert Sharon Salzberg helps us to become more mindful when this occurs. Just because we may have a different belief in something doesn’t mean we cannot be more accepting of those beliefs/ideas that are different from our own. Remember I said accepting not necessarily agreeing with them. When we accept something we are acknowledging it: an idea, a thought or feeling. This shows a sign of respect and is something that seems to be lacking more so now than ever. It seems we get so caught up in what we believe in that that is all that we are willing to see. We need to move past this and remember that everyone matters and this needs to be a time of acceptance and love, not a period of disdain for one another’s differences but rather a celebration of them.
Our tomorrow is built upon what we decide to do today. It is my hope that we live our lives with an open heart and an open mind for this is the only way we can truly become more socially aware.
What does this quote mean to you and how can you apply today’s message towards becoming more socially aware?
Becoming The Change 