Errors
Dear friends,
Have you ever made an error? No? Then this letter is not for you. For the small minority in our East West family who occasionally does something in a less-than-perfect way, read on...
We all, of course, want to get things right. That goes both for outwardly and in our inner selves as well, with right attitudes, equanimity, kindness, etc. This well-meaning and important desire can lead to some misunderstandings and harmful self-talk. We can easily confuse the goal with our current state, which we must accept to make progress.
Our Spirit is eternal and perfect. It is our little self—our egoic self—that makes errors. In its never-ending quest to find joy and feel secure in the world, it looks for those things in all the wrong places (money, popularity, relationships, the infinite list). It then rewrites reality to suit our preferences, which—unsurpisingly—has us get things wrong over and over again. Finally, after trying everything else, and coming back lifetime after lifetime, we realize the only thing that can ever fill the hole in our heart is Spirit.
So all errors are temporary. Each type that is fully explored and found to be wanting can be crossed off the list. This means each error, once it is realized to be so, should be a cause for celebration, and not a feeling of defeat. This is, after all, a game that cannot be lost. The only question is whether we actively cooperate in trying to get it right, or fight, kicking and screaming, pretending we are getting it right when we are not, and thus unnecessarily delaying the ultimate guaranteed victory.
May we face each challenge with an open heart and a desire to learn rather than to be right. Each discovered error can thus bring wisdom rather than regret.
Blessings,
David G., manager
For the staff at East West