Do we experience outbursts of anger often in our daily lives? I think most of us do. What causes these outbursts toward ourselves and others? In essence, anger outburst results from people, including ourselves, who do not meet our expectations. "When you are angry, is it not because someone has failed to fill the function you allotted him (her)?" (ACIM, ch. 29:IV)
It is so easy to put our scripts and expectations on others and ourselves. These expectations are aimed toward bodies and their behaviors, and so we can easily get into trouble, into unhappiness. We easily slip away from reality into dreams, into silly illusions that never can be real.
My central goal is to stay awake, not physically but spiritually. My central awakening is to the Reality of my One Self, united with God, Creator, Allah, or whatever you want to call Him, Her or It. This Oneness awakening can dissipate our many disappointments and angers, toward ourselves and thus toward others. Imagine what an attitude and rememberance can do for a marriage, for a neighborhood, for a group, a nation and the world?
Yes, peace begins with me, within my awakening and then in extension to others. Others are critical toward our self-awareness helping us understand that we are beginning to "get it." Our usual function is to obscure our brother and sister, assigning to him or her our own roles that we assume would bring us happiness. Then when we are failed in these expections of assigned roles, we want to attack and hurt them. Give these assigned roles up! Know that we already have Everything, Eternally. Love yourself, even if you live so often in nightmares and dreams; love your neighbor as yourself. Love the dreamer, not the dream, and each dream will become an offering of love.
So simple, but so easily forgotten. Yet, we forgive ourselves again and again for our sleep and dreams. And we share it, remember it, practice it, and in time, which is its purpose, we will find deeper peace, joy, and unspeakable power to live.
David's space 