I hope I'm wrong. . .
Next time you're upset, here's something to TRY. Say to yourself something like: "I must have made some mistake in my thinking. I hope I'm wrong. Maybe there's really no reason to be upset. Could there be a different way to look at this situation?" Notice that the last one is a question; you're ASKing for a new perception.
Usually, we reserve the words in the title of this entry for situations that seem to infringe on our sense of self:
"I smell smoke! The house is on fire! I hope I'm wrong!"
"I can't find my car. It's been stolen! I hope I'm wrong."
"My date didn't show up. I've been stood up! I hope I'm wrong."
"I feel like I'm getting sick; hope I'm wrong."
"My dad has been so ill; he won't last another year. Boy, I hope I'm wrong."
We hope we're wrong when we're assuming something has happened or is going to happen that impacts our perceived identity in a negative way.
Much more difficult, though, is to hope you're wrong when you feel a loss of peace. Especially if you're feeling like you've been victimized or treated unfairly. But just pause a moment and think. Can you remember times in your life where you assumed something bad had happened to you, and then later found out it wasn't that bad? Maybe even it was a good thing? Of course, in the moment you're angry or resentful, you've already given yourself the role of the "right" person; so why would you hope that you're wrong?
This exercise opens your mind to the possibility that your upsets are really caused by your perception, and not by external events. This concept is quite easy to understand intellectually, but is exceedingly difficult to put into practice. (This is the whole foundation of cognitive psychology, by the way. There are people who are making and spending large sums of money just to learn to ASK themselves this question in times of emotional crisis.)
Non-dualism claims that there is nothing wrong. There is nothing to fear. There is nothing to be angry about. There are no victims and no persecutors. There are only reflections of mistaken perceptions. So, just TRY it! Next time you're upset, TRY to remember to ASK. "I don't like the way I feel right now. It could be the way I'm framing the problem. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong, because maybe there's really no reason to even feel upset. Is there a different perception of this situation?" A S K
Usually, we reserve the words in the title of this entry for situations that seem to infringe on our sense of self:
"I smell smoke! The house is on fire! I hope I'm wrong!"
"I can't find my car. It's been stolen! I hope I'm wrong."
"My date didn't show up. I've been stood up! I hope I'm wrong."
"I feel like I'm getting sick; hope I'm wrong."
"My dad has been so ill; he won't last another year. Boy, I hope I'm wrong."
We hope we're wrong when we're assuming something has happened or is going to happen that impacts our perceived identity in a negative way.
Much more difficult, though, is to hope you're wrong when you feel a loss of peace. Especially if you're feeling like you've been victimized or treated unfairly. But just pause a moment and think. Can you remember times in your life where you assumed something bad had happened to you, and then later found out it wasn't that bad? Maybe even it was a good thing? Of course, in the moment you're angry or resentful, you've already given yourself the role of the "right" person; so why would you hope that you're wrong?
This exercise opens your mind to the possibility that your upsets are really caused by your perception, and not by external events. This concept is quite easy to understand intellectually, but is exceedingly difficult to put into practice. (This is the whole foundation of cognitive psychology, by the way. There are people who are making and spending large sums of money just to learn to ASK themselves this question in times of emotional crisis.)
Non-dualism claims that there is nothing wrong. There is nothing to fear. There is nothing to be angry about. There are no victims and no persecutors. There are only reflections of mistaken perceptions. So, just TRY it! Next time you're upset, TRY to remember to ASK. "I don't like the way I feel right now. It could be the way I'm framing the problem. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong, because maybe there's really no reason to even feel upset. Is there a different perception of this situation?" A S K
posted by AWB @ 1/29/2011 07:01:00 AM
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