I have no idea why, but the clear message during my morning practice was ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone’…an interesting message to receive, especially for someone who has no claim to religious philosophy or beliefs!
So I am curious and have been reflecting on this. What does it mean…to me?
Yes, I am observing situations right now, where people want to create division, lay blame and judge others…from Brexit to Trump, from situations in the field I work in to those I volunteer in.
Is life really that black or white, right or wrong? Is it really that easy to blame everyone else for any given situation and take none of the responsibility ourselves? What happened to everyone playing a part in where we find ourselves now? What happened to memories, that are conveniently deleted or distorted, to suit the latest version of the truth?
And the point is that yes, I am ‘guilty’ of all these things on occasions – there are times when I will ‘blame’ the weather, or my kids, or work for my grumpy mood; I stay quiet when I could choose to speak out in defence of someone who is being unfairly treated; I distort things to justify my decisions or reasoning.
…and when I recognise I am doing these things, I hope I am getting better at stepping back, pausing and questioning my own actions and reactions…so maybe the message this morning was just a reminder for me to keep doing that.
There is always another way to handle things, however challenging they are at the time – it may involve pausing before responding, listening (to self and others), compassion (for self and others!) and perhaps even a reality check…or two!