photo credit: Aaron Springston
Upon hearing from an old acquaintance, my thoughts turned to a conflict of opinion we had years ago. All the grudges I had held, the blame apportioned, came flooding back. Then I stopped and wondered why it had ever mattered so much in the first place. My conclusion was that I had felt self-righteous in the situation. I had taken actions and words personally AND made assumptions about the reasons for her behavior. Now I look back and see that it just doesn't matter. Any hurt that I thought had been inflicted on me was nothing but my self-important response. Almost immediately I began to wonder if she thought badly of me. Then I realized that didn't really matter either. I'm not responsible for what anyone else thinks, only myself. As a good friend tells me time and again, it’s none of my business what anyone thinks about me! I'm happy to have released yet another perceived pain in favor of remembering the goodness of our true Selves!
"If your brothers are part of you and you blame them for your deprivation, you are blaming yourself. And you cannot blame yourself without blaming them. That is why blame must be undone, not seen elsewhere. Lay it to yourself and you cannot know yourself, for only the ego blames at all." A Course in Miracles, Chapter 11:IV-5
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