Change
Why do we want to change things about ourselves --- the way we look, how much money we have, how smart we are, how well we speak, how spiritual we are? Because we are not happy with who we are. We are not accepting of ourselves. We do not think we are "good enough". Are we doing this to be good enough for our significant other, our friends, or strangers, or all of the above? Are we doing this to be good enough for God?
All of Western society is designed to "improve" who you are. There are all types of things you can do to maintain/improve your body and appearance. There are all kinds of ways we can get "smarter" or well informed through advanced degrees, books, seminars, etc. We take lessons to be better at sports or musical instruments. We are always looking for job advancement or for a bigger house. This society and its media is constantly giving us the message that we are not good enough, that we need to change. How in the world can you ever feel at peace about who you are?
You cannot love yourself if you don't even know who you are. What are you trying to change to? What is enough that would make you satisfied? Can you even describe the changes that need to occur in you so that you can love yourself? What is the level that constitutes perfection? When you put your faith in transitory things, like a body that ages, or a standard of living that may go away tomorrow, you are putting your faith in a false god. The ego needs reinforcement. Your spirit, that essence you share with God, needs none. It knows that it is perfect as it is. The outer circumstances and appearances in your life are under constant change every moment. That which is changeless is who you really are. Think of your self as a deep lake, deeper than you can imagine. There is a storm that whips the waves on the surface into a frenzy --- these are sometimes the outer circumstances in your life. At the bottom of this deep lake, all is perfectly still, unchanged and unaffected by anything going on at the surface. This stillness is a part of you.
All of Western society is designed to "improve" who you are. There are all types of things you can do to maintain/improve your body and appearance. There are all kinds of ways we can get "smarter" or well informed through advanced degrees, books, seminars, etc. We take lessons to be better at sports or musical instruments. We are always looking for job advancement or for a bigger house. This society and its media is constantly giving us the message that we are not good enough, that we need to change. How in the world can you ever feel at peace about who you are?
You cannot love yourself if you don't even know who you are. What are you trying to change to? What is enough that would make you satisfied? Can you even describe the changes that need to occur in you so that you can love yourself? What is the level that constitutes perfection? When you put your faith in transitory things, like a body that ages, or a standard of living that may go away tomorrow, you are putting your faith in a false god. The ego needs reinforcement. Your spirit, that essence you share with God, needs none. It knows that it is perfect as it is. The outer circumstances and appearances in your life are under constant change every moment. That which is changeless is who you really are. Think of your self as a deep lake, deeper than you can imagine. There is a storm that whips the waves on the surface into a frenzy --- these are sometimes the outer circumstances in your life. At the bottom of this deep lake, all is perfectly still, unchanged and unaffected by anything going on at the surface. This stillness is a part of you.
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