Mistakenly Mistaken

There's a phenomenon that's been troubling me for weeks, months and even years, and it has to do with all of us. I observe in every person I've ever gotten to know, including myself, how this phenomenon continuously torments and strangles its hosts. It holds us back, holds us down, depresses us, angers us, causes us to hate, resent and despise, not only others, but ourselves. I know all of us will come to this realization eventually, but maybe, just maybe I can speed up the process for even just a few of us. What I'm talking about is this terrible notion of mistakes, and its nasty bedfellow, guilt. Well here's the truth about mistakes: They don't exist. You've never made a single mistake; not in your entire life.

I know that sounds ridiculous and my ego is having a hard time accepting it too, but it's the absolute Truth. You, me, them, all of us; we've never made a single mistake. That time you cheated on your lover? Not a mistake. When you lied to your parents about going to a party, got plastered and ended up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning? Absolutely not a mistake. The decision you and your partner made to have an abortion for your own selfish reasons...When you pulled out in front of the 18-Wheeler with your family in the car with you...none of these are mistakes.

The things in our lives that we've said or done or thought which we refer to as 'mistakes' - that which we should not have said, done or thought - are not mistakes; they are opportunities. We should get rid of that term, 'mistake,' altogether because it is an erroneous term that holds no truth in it at all. It's a fallacy. It's a mythical term based on a mythical belief that there is such a thing as right and wrong. To call something a mistake is to grossly misinterpret reality. Life is endless opportunity and there is no right way to experience these endless opportunities.

Well, one may counter that the misinterpretation of these opportunities as mistakes, is a mistake. To that I would reply: 1. You're begging the question, and 2. Realizing the misinterpretation transforms it into an opportunity; thus we have corrected the misinterpretation and are now interpreting correctly.

Our egos, conditioned in duality and the precept of right and wrong, are now screaming at us: "If I do or say something that harms another or myself then that action or word cannot be good; therefore, I made the wrong decision - it is a mistake! It would have been better for me to have chosen differently!" Poor, poor egos; how dare we challenge your need for black and white control? I know, I know, this is challenging, but bear with me and I'll try to explain the best I can.

Without going into why it is never beneficial to judge a situation or act as good or bad, right or wrong (as I have done this in a past post), I will attempt to explain by simply asking why you think you made the choice you perceive as incorrect, in the first place? Why were you not naturally inclined to make the other 'correct' choice? The simple and obvious answer to this question is that there is an apparent need for growth in the area concerning the choice. Can we agree? You wouldn't have made the choice if you weren't somehow, deep down, inclined to do so, no? Yes, on the surface it seems it may have been more beneficial, immediately, to you or another if you had made the other choice; however, concerning your personal growth/evolution of your soul (which is ultimately our only concern, is it not?), making the 'incorrect' or 'harmful' choice, 1. cannot be avoided because our choices are a reflection of our inner state of being, and 2. is necessary to evolve our state of being. How else are we to know where we stand? It's a check point of sorts. It's an opportunity for self-assessment and, therefore, growth.

What about the other, whom we so obviously harmed by making the choice we made? Why do they need to suffer in order for us to grow? Well, this is where the brilliance of human existence and interaction makes itself known and, quite frankly, astonishes and excites me to no end. It's fantastic, really, when you think about it. The other is not harmed at all, and in fact gains just as much as you do from the choice you made. But only if they're in the right frame of mind; if they're perceiving reality as endless opportunity for evolution of their soul. If they are looking through the lens of love, compassion, non-judgment and understanding they will see that you made the choice based on a lack of understanding, or consciousness, and that in so doing, you have given them a wonderful opportunity to gauge how they will respond to experiencing such an act against them. Will they react in hurt, resentment and disdain, and cast blame on you? Will they become vengeful and attempt to hurt you back? And if they do, will they recognize it and do the soul work needed in that area to alleviate such reactions? Or will they immediately see what is, and seize the opportunity to react in kindness and understanding? If they choose the latter, what an incredible opportunity this is for you! You've just made a choice that hurts or harms another and they have responded with love. This is one of the greatest gifts we can give another: to respond to aggression, fear and doubt with kindness; challenge the other's paradigm and give them an enormous opportunity to assess and change their perception. And so the trade-off of opportunities endlessly continues!

Our perceived mistakes are misinterpreted opportunities just waiting and begging to be seized. We seize these opportunities long past simply by recognizing them as such. Now our misinterpretations become tools for us to release judgment about our past actions and celebrate them instead for the knowledge they give us about ourselves - for the growth opportunity they present. No longer shall our past torment us in the present.

It is my deepest intent that all of us see that there is no use for guilt. Guilt does not and will not ever translate into growth. Non-judgment does. Compassion, especially for ourselves, does. When has guilt ever done anything for you besides make you feel terrible or prompt you to apologize for a perceived 'mistake' or to do the 'right' thing? It only keeps you in a lowly state of feeling like you're not good enough. Forgive yourself and others and release your guilt. Realize you never made a mistake in the first place. See what is. Guilt and apologies are unnecessary for those who understand the reality of Life. If I do not judge you, you have nothing to apologize for. If you have nothing to apologize for, you have nothing to feel guilty about. If you have no guilt, you have only opportunity. You are enough. I tell you with all of my heart and soul, and with the backing of the greatest Truth; All of You are enough, and you're doing wonderfully.

thank You and God bless

bryan