No, I can’t! That was just to get your attention. The fact is, no one can change the mind of anyone who wants to stay where they are. The forces of entropy are the sternest, clingiest, and most intrepid in this universe.
Alternative facts, early on a clarion call of Ms. Conway, once they take root are nearly immutable. The possibility of having to throw more and more sh–t on them to support their growth is merely a challenge for the farmer who owns the pile.
The mind can be a toxic instrument. Neither you (nor I) can rely on it to heal you when it itself needs healing. I have (or used to have, it fell down like the Cardinal’s hats in a cathedral*)a message on my refrigerator stating: “Do not believe your thoughts.” Always a good place to start when you are looking for truth.
Where else to start? Your heart, what you care about without interference from craving or control, is a great place. Last time I wrote about the Ho’oponopono Prayer which can reset your cells and free your spirit. I first read about it through the work of Dr. Hew Len, who went to a prison where the most recalcitrant prisoners were held. He saw that they were not getting less violent with the treatment they received. While saying the Ho’oponopono prayer holding each prisoner’s file in his hands, day after day for months, he noticed a softening in their behavior without ever seeing them or “treating” them in any way.
That was good enough for me to make it a permanent part of my life. Blaming others helps us focus outside ourselves, keeps the ball rolling, and lets our judgments and resentments dictate our attitudes. Harboring resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the person you hate to die.
Since I can’t change your mind, perhaps we can all be guided to act according to our heart’s courage. Yes, the root meaning of courage is Coeur, French for, yes, heart. The courage to love ourselves. To let go of what we think we want and just be here in the present moment. Easily said, hardly won, but a good commencement.
( *Traditionally, the galero – red cardinal’s hat – remains over the tomb until it is reduced to dust, symbolizing how all earthly glory is passing. In a cathedral that has no crypt, the galeri are suspended from the ceiling. For example, following the death of Cardinal Basil Hume, Archbishop of Westminster (UK), in 1999, his relatives had a galero installed above his tomb in Westminster Cathedral, alongside those of his predecessors.)
Leave a Reply