During the heat of a political election Amma made a comment. She told us to know where we stand. It didn’t matter where we stood just as long as we stood somewhere and knew where that was.
She was talking about knowing our values, knowing what was important to us, knowing who we are.
There are very few people who don’t care what anyone thinks. Some may say they don’t, but their anger and reactions to others who think differently belie their words. If you truly don’t care what others think then you will be at peace with whatever they think. You might not even notice what they think. You will live your life the way you wish to live it no matter what is happening.
When Amma talks about knowing where you stand, she wants you to be yourself, not to change who you are depending upon the person and the situation. That doesn’t mean you don’t evolve and, perhaps, change your mind. A mature person will change his or her perspective as s/he gathers more wisdom and knowledge.
You can’t change your perspective if you don’t know what that perspective is. What do you believe in? Are you willing to stand up for those beliefs? If so, how?
The conundrum is that how you stand up for your beliefs and how someone else thinks you should do so can be very different. Some people will say you must write letters, sign petitions, protest. Others will tell you to be gentle in your words and actions.
People will tell you what they think you should be doing based upon what they believe about themselves. You get to make your own decision.
Amma only loves. She loves unconditionally. You don’t have to change yourself into someone else for her to keep loving you. Whether you stay true to yourself or follow what someone else says you should do, she’ll still love you.
That’s the way unconditional love is. It’s unconditional.
If you choose to model yourself after Amma you, and I, have a tough task. She is Unconditional Love. She is Love Itself. (Whatever name you give God is Love Itself.)
Speaking for myself… if someone betrays me I have a difficult task before me if I am to model myself after Amma. I am to continue to have unconditional positive regard for that person. My love for them would not change one iota (the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet and the smallest).
Oh my, how do I do that? How do I keep that love for another after s/he hurt me terribly? That is a struggle, isn’t it?
This life is an adventure in discovering how we can be the Love We Are. It is a discovery in learning to forgive and then learning there is nothing to forgive.
It is a discovery in accepting that we have hurt others as much as we have been hurt by others… and growing from that discovery… then forgiving ourselves… then knowing we played our part well in life.
Hurting and being hurt is unavoidable. It what we do after it that is in our control.
If you know you want to model yourself after Unconditional Love, then you form and fashion your thoughts and feelings on that model.
Know where you stand. Just know not everyone will stand in the same place. No matter where they stand, they were made from the same Love as you.