Acceptance

Sometimes, all we need to be happy is acceptance. Acceptance is one of those universal needs that can go in at least two directions. one, where we want to be accepted by others, and to feel accepted by others. And two, where we want to accept being with things the way they are, not the way we may want them to be. This later form of acceptance is the classic antidote to suffering as taught by the Buddha. And at times it is very hard to achieve.

Accepting things the way they are has logic that is quite easy to follow. If something is really bothering us, and we accept it, it doesn’t bother us anymore. That’s it! But getting to acceptance is often no easy matter. For many of us, accepting who were are, someone we have lived with our whole lives can take 50 or 60 years. This is one reason why I admire young people who meditate or practice NVC. I know how much harder it is to accept things as they are when we are young.