Observe the judgments you make about the choices made by those around you. Take a moment and meditate on the origin of their motivation.
By Patrick Kelly
Choice: The moment of decision when presented with one or more opportunities, a time or an instance where we may act on situations presented to us or upon information that we have. We often look at each other as we refer to the choices we make. “That person chose that” or “that person chose this,” “they put their heads together and that’s what they chose.” It appears to be the norm, we’re all choosing what to do, what to say, how to act and, of course, whom to love. We blame or praise each other for the choices that we make depending on the perceived result.
Moving forward in our studies of mindfulness, meditation and conscious awareness, we discover that we don’t always have a choice, nor do some of the people around us. It would appear detrimental for a person to choose negative thoughts that create negativity in themselves. No one chooses negativity. For some, the thought stream produces a lot of negative thinking. We are not choosing, the thoughts just come. No one chooses suffering, unless their state of mind is such that the negativity creates some sense of calm, familiarity or some sort of emotional response they are not aware of. If that is the case, there is something to be learned. It’s easy for people to blame the decisions made by those who are so horribly caught up in their mind streams, addictions, depression, anxiety, etc. that they make poor choice after poor choice. They don’t really have a choice. If you don’t believe it, look within, look at yourself.
It is believed by millions that learning, studying and practicing meditation is the preferred option or best choice of all spiritual, theological and mental health practices. To choose to free ourselves from the confines of our conditioned programmed minds. The young adult turned 18 and all those around judged and persecuted the youth for the decisions and choices they were making. A young adult whose programming and conditioning consists of the confines of societal norms, exposure to a world that chooses itself over each other, material-ness over environments, and hatred over love. And there at the mere age of 18, they are blaming them for the choices they make. They shout: “You should know better,” “what’s wrong with you,” “it’s no one’s fault but your own.” We could take a look at that. They are making choices that are the results of their programming and conditioning. Perhaps, love, mentoring, knowledge and understanding are what they truly need.
A meditation: Try it out, here and there, when it comes to your mind or not, observe the judgments you make about the choices made by those around you. Take a moment and meditate on the origin of their motivation. Bring the observation home to yourself. Observe the moments your mind leads you into thoughts that create suffering. You did not purposely conjure many of the thoughts that come to your mind, they are not your choice, they just come. Many of the decisions you make are the result of those thoughts. Meditate on that, here and there. It’s a new day, the best day of your life. ••
For more on this topic and meditation practices, visit wakingupwithpatrick.com
