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Today's
Meditation:
If we truly wish to be free people, then we definitely
have to let go of our needs to meet other people's
expectations. We can't call ourselves free, yet
still be chained by our need to meet with the approval of
others. We must know that our actions are just and
moral and ethical and necessary, and if we know that, then
we never have to give an excuse for anything that we do,
simply to make someone else feel better or think
differently about who and what we are.
I have to say that these days, if someone were to invite
me to dinner on a Friday night, there's a very good chance
that I'd say no. My weeks are extremely busy, and
they're busy with dealing with high school students for
more than seven hours a day. I love doing it, but
it's exhausting. The question is, though, can I turn
them down with a simple "No, thank you," without
telling them why? Can I simply state my preference
for not going without giving an excuse for that
preference?
There's a part of me that says that it's more courteous to
give that explanation, that I'd be sparing their feelings
if I were to do so. There's another part of me,
though, that agrees with Jules and says that when I reach
a point of true freedom, I'm not going to base what I do
and say on how I think others will react. Their
reactions, after all, are about them, not about me, and a
simple "No, thank you" should suffice.
Shouldn't it?
I may never become "the only person who is really
free." But I most certainly can aspire to
become that person, and the closer I get to being truly
free, the more positive my life will become.
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