Often we look at the outside world and find it in a state of seeming chaos or disorder. We feel compelled to transform the situation from one of turmoil into one of peace, yet we are often disappointed in our best attempts to do so. One reason for this is that we cannot bring to the world what we do not have to offer. Peace starts in our own minds and hearts, not outside of ourselves, and until its roots are firmly entrenched in our own selves, we cannot manifest it externally. Once we have found it within, we can share it with our family, our community, and the whole wide world. Some of us may already be doing just that, but for most of us, the first step is looking within and honestly evaluating the state of our own relationship to peacefulness.
Interestingly, people who manifest peace internally are not different from us; they have chattering thoughts and troubled emotions like we all do. The difference is that they do not lend their energy to them, so those thoughts and feelings can simply rise and fall like the waves of the ocean without disturbing the deeper waters of peacefulness within. We all have this ability to choose how we distribute our energy, and practice enables us to grow increasingly more serene as we choose the vibration of peace over the vibration of conflict. We begin to see our thoughts and feelings as tiny objects on the surface of our being that pose no threat to the deep interior stillness that is the source of peacefulness.
When we find that we are able to locate ourselves more and more in the deeper waters and less on the tumultuous surface of our being, we have discovered a lasting relationship with peace that will enable us to inspire peace beyond ourselves. Until then, we help the world most by practicing the art of choosing peace within.
dailyomcom
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"Never argue with an idiot... They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience..."
Thankyou again for another timely post, Chris. I shared about my choice tonight. The fact that just for today I've been learning what my choices are. I'm learning my defects of character through my 4&5 & I've been recognising how a lot of my previous choices have been based on self~pity. I've realised that I don't have to listen to my alcoholic head trying to tell me how worthless I am; how difficult situations can have a 'negative impact' on me. I have a choice today of knowing that my fear is self~centred & how selfish it is to think that 'stuff I perceive as not likeable' is really my own disturbances inside myself & yet another excuse to beat myself up. Loving myself & life has become the best gratitude I can have & learning to be kind to myself is how this program teaches me to be a better person. Because I don't have to live in shame. Shame for my imagined or real inadequacies; shame for my daily mistakes; shame on just being me. This has become ridiculous & I know it's my illness's way of trying turn me to that first drink ~ cunning, baffling & powerful. I don't have to accept shame, guilt, paranoia, ill~confidence as a way of life. I can choose to allow these thoughts to be chased by kind & loving ones. My responsibility of knowing my part in things & to let go of the rest. And my part can be forgiven. That's my self~love; my current HP & I'm sure how my God really wants me to live. My illness tried to tell me not to think like this (in case it's ego, my illness has told me any postitive or kind thoughts I have about myself are ego) No way. This is a program of love & I can't love anyone until I love me first. That's been one of the hardest yet most glaringly obvious & old lessons I've ever had to learn. And I'm not going to feel bad that it took me this long or that I had to learn it through A.A! ;) Thanks for your post, Chris. You have so much to give. Yours in fellowship & recovery, Danielle xx
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Progress not perfection.. & Practice makes Progress!
Giving yourself the gift of self-love is multi-fold, I believe. One, its validating that your Higher Power's love for you, that wonderful unconditional love, is really there. No way will I second guess my HP's reasons for loving me, LOL. And in loving yourself, even a little bit at a time, makes you able to reach out and love others, as you said. I don't think of that as ego at all, but damn, our disease will try and talk us out of any and all good feelings about ourselves. I worked a long time, and still a work in progress, in learning to love myself. And unlearning to judge myself harshly. I've a book here called "Guilt is the teacher, love is the lesson". The author quotes Alice Miller, an analyst.
I understand a healthy self-feeling to mean the unquestioned certainty that the feelings and wishes one experiences are a part on oneself...this automatic, natural contact with (his/her) own emotions and wishes gives an individual strength and self-esteem. He may live out his feelings, be sad, despairing, or in need of help, without fear of making the introjected ' mother' insecure. He can allow himself to be afraid when he is threatened, or angry when his wishes are not fulfilled. He knows not only what he does not want, but also what he wants and is able to express this, irrespective of whether he will be loved or not for it".
In other words "be true to yourself". The rest will follow. big hugs, Chris
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"Never argue with an idiot... They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience..."
