He said he meant to write it that way, then wrote more flowery phrases about “being open to the may bes” and on. It’s been such a long time since I’ve encountered energy like his, it took me a few lines before I got it. Then I smiled. Then I laughed. Then I wrote back that I think we will agree to disagree and I hope he has a lovely day. He didn’t make me mad. He didn’t even make me frustrated. I was just amazed at his certain, rigid attitude toward his reality. No room for options.
It got me to thinking: am I like that, and if so, HOW am I like that? Am I open to other people’s opinions, views, beliefs, viewpoints? If somebody says there are alien reptile people running the world, am I open to that possibility? I’m trying not to smile as I type, but I took some training from a rogue group (found out later it wasn’t legitimate) that said Republicans were alien reptile people, so if we follow that line of thinking, I may be an alien reptile! But I’m most certainly NOT ruling the world, so there you go. Just because something is unknown to me or a foreign concept doesn’t mean it can’t be right. But is it right for someone to tell me they know the exact opposite of what I know to be the truth? Searching my heart, I don’t mind someone else thinking the exact opposite of what I believe, except for some few obvious exceptions - hurting people is certainly not cool, or oh, now I’m thinking of the Buddhist precepts I was reading yesterday. Hang on - let me grab my “Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Buddhism.” Here it is: right view, right action, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. Ah, there we go - I agree. “Right” in this regard means what we each consider appropriate given each situation. Then there’s also the Cardinal Precepts, which are: not killing, not stealing, not lying, no intoxicants and no sexual abuse. Am I a Buddhist? A Buddhist Christian? Does it matter?
My thoughts are scattered this morning. I think it’s the beautiful moon. I saw it, taking up a big portion of the western sky as I drove my son to school this morning. I could feel it, full in my heart, and I thought I would meditate on the image of the moon this morning. I think about how the moon is always complete, even if we can’t see all of it every night. It’s us here on Earth that block the sun from shining completely on it. We get in the way, and I wonder if it’s the same way with our lives. We get in our own way, limit the Sun from shining through us. My personal vow is to keep getting out of my own way. And that is by no means weak.