Acceptance

Acceptance is not about being a doormat, or about settling for anything — it is about seeing what is, and not fighting with it, not wanting it to be different. IT is as IT is, and no amount of energy will make IT different, we fight only with the reflection of ourselves that we judge. This doesn’t mean of course that we don’t have desires — it doesn’t mean we don’t react.  It doesn’t mean we don’t get angry, or sad — it does mean that we see what IS and don’t ask IT to be different.

You can experience joy at the same time you have sad or angry — one is what is, the other is what is happening. When you accept what is happening, your fixation on what’s happening is released and you become aware of the joy of living.  You can even create a new ‘whats next’ for yourself that is different from the current ‘what is’.

Acceptance is beyond belief, morals or judgments — it exists in reality. It is a place that we can always choose to stand. Whenever we are not accepting, we are creating suffering for ourselves.

In this context, acceptance is a synonym for joy.