As I Understand Acceptance...4a

Since I established in the Understand...3 post that I think helping others is one of many steps that get you along the pathway leading from discontent to content, we're almost ready to explore how acceptance is another step along the same pathway.

But first, let's acknowledge that helping others is almost always a physical activity, requiring a definite action of some sort. Because of this physical element, we can usually make ourselves do it. Accepting a person, place or thing, however, is more of a cerebral activity, and hence a potential problem. Most of the problems discontent people have stem from the way they understand things. Therefore, when discontent people start looking for a solution that requires understanding, the solution can understandably be a long time in coming.

It took me a long time to get this acceptance thing figured out, and it's still not totally clear, however much thinking has simplified it to a point where I feel capable of offering a somewhat understandable explanation.

Here goes: Even though everything else in my life may be running with reasonable smoothness, if one aspect of my life is out of balance, or in a way I would rather it not be, I tend to focus on it instead of being grateful for the 99% of my life that is running smoothly.

As long as I'm focusing on the problem, it's almost impossible to be content. In other words, living with a problem is easier if I quit giving it all my attention and start expressing gratitude for the things in my life that are more to my liking.

Someone asks, "How can I be thankful I have a good job if my car's broken down and I can't get to work?"

What I'm talking about is being content with our ongoing circumstances. Problems that arise need to be focused on until we figure out how to solve them, if they can be. In other words: If you're not content with what you have, then coming from a place of honesty and integrity, do what you can to get more. If that proves impossible then learn to be thankful for what you have.

Everybody has stuff to be thankful for. If you don't think so, close your eyes until your grateful you can see.

I haven't fully explained my thoughts on acceptance. I will do that in another post on acceptance, it may not be my next post, but it will be numbered 4b.




(An example of what I'm NOT talking about is a shepherd who doesn't bother to look for a lost sheep because he tells himself to be happy having the sheep that didn't wander off.)