A Teacher Who Will Not Persuade

November 8th, 2009

As you grow up, you eventually realize that there are battles that aren’t worth fighting over.

You realize that some of the pettiest arguments you picked with people you love were hardly worth losing the relationship over.  You realize that the energy consumed to hold your tongue in questionable situations would have been better used in getting yourself out of the situation.   You learn that the things that matter are not short-term gratifications, but are rather long-term securities.

You learn these things as you grow up.  Because you are just as much a scientist as any other human.  You are here, learning your way through this life, seeing what works and what doesn’t.

You learn to apologize with geniune remorse, even if it isn’t yours to own.  You realize that salvaging a relationship is worth more than pride.  You learn that accepting people for who and what they are is more important than trying to fruitlessly alter them to fit the mold you have envisioned for them.

They say the definition of craziness is repeating the same behaviors over and over, and for some reason expecting something new to eventually happen.

The wisdom of *stop doing the things that aren’t working* isn’t universal.   Perhaps earlier generations of mankind didn’t see life this way and instead staunchly dug their heels in to stand stolidly for the things they believed were right.

Yet things are changing.  The world is changing and the people are changing.   In a collective dance, we as a people are discovering that to move forward, we must flow together.   We must learn from our mistakes.

Of course generalizations are never a complete answer.  There will always be exceptions, and there will remain a group of people who are set back to their resolutions, unquestioning, unaltering, and will continue to act crazily.  There is no escape from this.  It is what it is.  Souls are in different phases of enlightenment.

That, too, is part of choosing your battle.  Yes, to have the collective whole be forgiving, to be poised to learn, to be willing to get along– that would be ideal.  But as we continue our forward movement, we have to let go of those who are stuck, allowing them to be who they are without condemnation and without forcing them to change.

It’s no use, anyway.  You are given the opportunity to know many people in these brief lifetimes.  And these people are worthy of your love and admiration, also, regardless of where they’re at on the evolutionary continuum.  They are worthy because they are a reflection of you at some point on your journey– be it this lifetime, ones before, or ones hereafter.  They are worthy because they, too, are fighting a battle and learning how to swing a sword.

You are in a position to acknowledge your Self.  You are in a position to acknowledge the Self of others.  Without judgment, without accusation, and without needing to move them to any other position than where they’re at.  This is not to say you shall not teach– but that in teaching, you are merely demonstrating for those who have eyes to see you, ears to hear you, touch to feel you, and a heart to love you.   It is not your job to change, but to lead.