Gaining Confidence in the Process

We've been mistaken our entire lives, even to this very moment. There is no castigating ourselves over the truth in that statement, and we do believe it to be the absolute truth. To us, it lays out the amazing landscape in which to explore, examine and analyze. We will figure out where our attachment and expectation still prop up and tear down the people in our life and our community.

We have been, after all, living in this similar way for the majority of our lives, so we must have amazing patience for ourselves. Aspiring to do likewise for others can be a very difficult enterprise, but to take the aspiration of having patience for others and transform it into the reality of our day is a worthy goal.

Looking at the community as a whole, we can see ample evidence that people are not listening to others or even hearing themselves. Human society has gotten out of the understanding business. One side denigrates the other side, calling them stupid and wrong, yet if the other side were to change their opinion or stance on an issue, they would label them as both weak and still stupid.

Take the news media. Two cable networks on the fringes, telling their audience the other side's view is frivolous and worthless. People listening to only what they already believe, instead of attempting some understanding for the opposing view. We're intensifying, solidifying our own points-of-view and sacrificing understanding and compassion in order to do it.

Take the Israeli/Palestinian crisis. Both sides so adamant to be seen as strong, confident and right. Both sides with long track records of violence, oppression and destruction. Neither side wanting to give any ground, because the previous time or the time before that when they gave away ground the problem became more pronounced and more dangerous.

Have you ever stated you wouldn't do something upsetting to someone, but later on (even minutes later) actually did it anyway? Which is the mistaken view here? The intention to not do something and later on doing it, or the act of saying anything absolute or anything at all?

When we make bold statements like this, we should tread very carefully. After a declaration, however, if we find that to be a mistaken view or that we encountered a situation that exposes our ignorance, we must make a correction now and go against our own word despite the personal consequences and animosity doing so could create.

What we're talking about here are the important things in life. We should always act, speak and think with good intentions. Sometimes, our intentions don't look like the results we had hoped would be the outcome. The space between intentions and outcomes is our ignorance. It's important to be confident, but confident in our process of ridding ignorance, not that we know something others do not.