Grace. FIERCE. ACTIVE. GRACE.
The opposite of intolerance is grace. (click for previous post)
What do I mean when I say FIERCE, ACTIVE, GRACE?
Fierce = All that it means to be human–all the big intense human emotions.
Active = We can think that grace is a rather passive "letting go of something." However, I think real grace is anything but passive. It's the state of active awareness of our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and worldview. It's about ACTIVELY choosing a different response.
Grace = Forgiveness–letting go. The opportunity to embrace growth and enlightenment. Giving up comfort for radical growth, and acceptance. Grace is the realization that we are all human and make mistakes–extending acceptance to others who are different than us. Grace is about forgiving others when we feel hurt, and treating ourselves with tenderness when we mess up.
Grace for others.
Grace for what we don't know.
Grace for what we do know.
We will all need to receive grace.
Our brains naturally fill in the blanks. When we don't know something, a narrative/assumption kicks in without us even thinking about it. It's just how our brains work. Our worldview (the lens through which we see the world) works on autopilot most of the time.
Our thoughts and opinions are based our worldview, not how the world really is.
How do we train our brains and hearts see
others through a lens of grace?
A big part of mindfulness practice is developing the awareness of when our minds are making these judgements and assumptions, because no matter what we all will make judgements.
The belief that we can constantly be non-judgemental is a pipe dream. However, we can actively notice when we are making a judgement. Change comes when we realize we are judging, then we seek to understand why we are judging, then we challenge the judgement by extending fierce, active, grace. This is how we create acceptance.
Even the most enlightened people will be inclined to judge, but learning to change our thinking and reactions when judgemental thoughts come up, is the key to creating new thought patterns.
“Inner transformation can not be separated from social transformation.
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Social and cultural change starts within.
It starts with you. It starts with me.
For further reading on this topic see this post:
Multiple Truths–Beyond the Absolutes of Right & Wrong