Last summer I wrote an article called Deeper than Tolerance. It became one of the most popular posts here. I spoke of how Tolerance was not acceptance. Tolerance is conditional and thus still contains resistance. On Sunday, I heard a talk by Rev. Austin Hennesssey of the SCDL.
He observed that when we make “I hope” statements, we’re really saying “I want it like this”. It is a statement of control or expectation. He suggested reframing such statements to be “I wonder”. I Wonder releases the attachment and shifts the attention to curiosity and allowing, rather than engaging the controller.
For example, rather than “I hope I get a job”, what about “I wonder what the new job will be like.” “I hope she likes me” becomes “I wonder if we’ll be a match.”
I thought this was a very useful observation. The English language is full of ego hooks.
Certainly tolerance is greater than hate. And hope is better than despair. Hope certainly inspired many in the last US election. But both are still voices of the ego, the me who wants control.
When we become that which always is, what need is there for hope? When we watch, without attachment, that which always changes, we soon see it just changes. It too continues. As physics would say, energy is neither created nor destroyed, it just changes form.
When we step into a deeper sense of our universal self, we begin to step out of that need to control. We begin to move into acceptance, then allowing. This is beyond tolerance. It is the end of hope.
Davidya
Last Updated on December 11, 2013 by Davidya